Critically acclaimed author Tayari Jones comes to Clemson

Published: February 25, 2013

By Kalya Cobb

CLEMSON — Tayari Jones' novel, "Silver Sparrow," begins with the controversial sentence, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.”

The novel follows its teenage protagonist as she suffers through a father’s deception and a family’s complacency.

Jones will visit Clemson University for a reading and signing of "Silver Sparrow" at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 356 Restaurant and Sushi Bar on College Avenue.

Kimberly Manganelli, associate professor of English and self-proclaimed fan of Jones’ work, organized the visit. Jones was asked to come during last year’s Clemson Literary Festival, but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.

“For last year’s Lit Fest, the students voted on who they wanted to bring to campus, and she was one of the authors, so this this event rose out of the students’ interest,” Manganelli said.

Jones is an associate professor in the Master of Fine Arts program at Rutgers-Newark University, where she was awarded with the Board of Trustees Award for Scholarly Excellence and the Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence. Her first novel, “Leaving Atlanta,” won the 2003 Hurtson/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction and "Silver Sparrow" has been getting just as much attention.

“Silver Sparrow” has been featured by several publications, including O Magazine, Slate and Atlanta Magazine, as well as being named the June 2011 Indie Next Pick. While many point to the novel’s compelling characters and plot as the source of its success, Manganelli views Jones’ work as a redefinition of Southern literature. 

“She’s not only writing about the South, but specifically the urban South. I think that’s a category that gets left out of Southern lit,” Manganelli said. “We have stories about New Orleans and Charleston, but I think Atlanta, because it is so urban and cosmopolitan, doesn’t always get grouped into Southern lit in the same way maybe some other areas do.”

Manganelli points to this change in genre as a reason why English majors would be interested in the event, but its not just for humanities majors.  

“I think ‘Silver Sparrow’ is one of those books that’s a work of literature, but also something that anyone can pick up and be drawn to,” Manganelli said. “If you love narrative at all and characters who will stay with you long after you finish the last page, this is a good event to come to.”

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