On The Same Page; Tayari Jones

May 8, 2003

Atlanta-born author Tayari Jones takes readers on a journey through a terrifying time to be a child. Leaving Atlanta is the tale of children growing up during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a string of child murders roiled the city. Two of Jones' classmates were among the 29 children killed in those years, making this story both personal and powerful. The program includes host Tommy Sanders interviewing Jones and leading a panel discussion about the book with Katie Atkinson, a junior at Armorel High School in Blytheville, Ark.; Norma Bell of That Bookstore in Blytheville; and Marcia Raeber-McClain, a French and Spanish teacher at Gosnell High School. Jones made her mark on the literary world early by winning the prestigious Hurston/Wright Award while still in Arizona State University?s master of fine arts writing program. Taped at That Bookstore in Blytheville, this episode is underwritten by the Philip R. Jonnson Foundation. Jones has also received the Robert C. Martindale Award for fiction, an Arizona