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2 R SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2019 | | The Mix E5 BOOKS AND TELEVISION LIT LIFE ByMOIRA MACDONALD Seattle Times arts critic The novel that would change Tayari Jones’ lifewas inspired by amoment in anAtlanta mall. “I ran across a young couple, arguing,” Jones remembered, in a telephone interview fromher Atlanta home thismonth. “Thewoman said, ‘Roy, you knowyouwouldn’t have waited on me for seven years.’ He said, ‘I don’t knowwhat you’re talking about. It wouldn’t have happened to you in the first place.’” It was a scene that struck Jones, and resonatedwith her. She’d been trying for some time to find the shape of her upcoming fourth novel, inwhich shewanted to explore ques- tions of racismandwrongful incarceration, of the effect on families and communitieswhen innocentmen are locked up. “I was outraged, I was upset, I was shocked,” Jones said of her research, “but I wasn’t inspired.” And then she saw that young couple—the woman beautifully dressed, theman a little less so—and a story clicked: aman unfairly imprisoned, awomanwaiting at home as time goes by. “I imagined a youngwomanwho was an artist, herwhole life ahead of her—does she have a right to her dreams?” That incident was the spark of “AnAmericanMarriage,” a delicately layered novel about love, race, youth, andwhat we owe to our past and to loved ones. It tells the story of Roy (Jones kept the name), Celestial andCeles- tial’s old friendAndre, towhomshe turns for solacewhenRoy is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Joneswill be in Seattle on Tuesday,May 14, at Seattle Arts &Lectures to talk about the book, newly out in paperback. Writing it was a long process (thatmall incident was in 2011); shewrote the entire novel three times over, finally settling on a structure inwhichCelestial’s, Roy’s andAndre’s voices speak in turn. Jones, who is a creative-writ- ing professor at EmoryUniversity, had already experienced great ups and downs in herwriting career; the publisher of her first two books dropped her and she struggled to find a home for her third novel, “Silver Sparrow.” A chancemeet- ingwith author Judy Blume (“it felt like divine intervention!”) finally put her in the hands of a sympathetic newpublisher, and shewrote “AnAmericanMarriage” knowing that at least she had a contract. And then, a fewmonths before the book’s publication, lightning struck, in the formof a phone call inwhich a very familiar voice said, “Hey, girl, this is Oprah!” “She likes surprising people!” said Jones of the call, which came out of the blue, asking the author if she’d like her book to be anOprah’s BookClub selection. “I said what anyonewould say: ‘Yes, ma’am, that would be nice,’ ” recalled Jones, laughing. Buoyed by rave reviews and theOprah imprint, “An AmericanMarriage” spent nineweeks onTheNewYork Times best-seller list last year. Amovie deal has been struck—“I’mwaitingwith bated breath to receive the screenplay,” Jones said —and she’s bought herself a house inAtlanta, whosewriting roomupstairs has an espresso machine and “a beautiful viewof a little patch of trees.” But success hasn’t changed everything. Jones continues to teachwriting, finding that workingwith students “hasme thinking about writing all the time.” She remembers how, when shewas struggling to finish her third novel, she’d gotten the bad news fromher publisher. “I toldmy students that youwrite a story because it needs to bewritten, you don’t write for themarket or a publisher, youwrite out of loyalty to the story. Howcould I face them if I was going to abandonmy story?” And she still writes theway she always has: on one of several vintagemanual typewriters in her collection. “It’s likewhen you eat too fast and the plate is empty so clearly you ate it, but you don’t really remember eating it. That’s how I feel when I compose on a computer— it’s too fast,” she said. “The typewriter slows me down, and it’smore legible than handwrit- ing. And I do feel very satisfiedmaking all that noise, I feel like I’mgetting something done.” She recommends the experience to other writers but has a few tips: Don’t buy used typewriters on eBay—“unless it’s froma com- pany that sells typewriters a lot”—and if you pick one up at a yard sale, make sure the space barworks. (Everything else can be repaired, but the space bar is crucial.) During the past year, Jones has spentmuch time on the road for “AnAmericanMarriage,” but she’s never gotten tired of talking about it. “I love the book and I love the people that it has broughtme into contact with,” she said, noting that it’s been a special pleasure to con- nect with longtime readers. “I wrotemy first book 17 years ago, and I had a small but devoted band of readers and they’re still withme. Sometimes I’ll give a signing and I’ll recognize faces—they’ll bring those old books to show they’ve been there all along. It’s reallymoving; those early readers keptme goingwhen thingswere really bleak …Their belief inme andmywork—they don’t have the reach of someone likeOprah, but itmeans thatmuch tome.” Andwhat will be the follow-up to “An AmericanMarriage”? Jones says she hasn’t yet had amoment, like that one in the Atlanta mall years ago, that’s sparked a story, but she’s looking forward to quiet time alone in her new house, dreaming up some new invented lives. Whenever inspiration strikes, she’s ready. “I amso eager, you just don’t know,” she said. “I ordered ribbons for all six typewrit- ers!” MoiraMacdonald: mmacdonald@seattletimes.com ; on Twitter: @moiraverse Tayari Jones on writing and that call from Oprah APPEARANCE Tayari Jones The author will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at Seattle Arts & Lectures, Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle; $20-$80, 206-621-2230, lectures.org C OU R T E S Y O F S E A T T L E A R T S & L E C T U R E S Author and professor Tayari Jones By SEAN AXMAKER Special to The Seattle Times Here’s what’s new on Video on Demand, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other services. Top streams of the week Peter Jackson brings history to life in “ They Shall Not Grow Old ” (2018, R), a compelling documentary on the experience of British soldiers during World War I created entirely from archival footage and interviews. On Cable on Demand and VOD. Amy Poehler directs and stars in the comedy “ Wine Country ” (2019, not rated), with Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey. They play longtime friends on a weekend getaway where ten- sions flare. It debuts directly to Netflix. Science-fiction epic “ The Wandering Earth ” (China, 2019, not rated, with subtitles), based on a story by Cixin Liu (“The Three Body Problem”), was barely released in the U.S. but became one of the biggest blockbuster hits around the world. It’s now streaming on Netflix. “ Chernobyl ” (2019) drama- tizes the 1986 nuclear disaster and its aftermath. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson star. New episodes of the miniseries air on HBO and all streaming services each Monday. Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd star in “ State of the Union ,” a marital comedy with a serious undercurrent from director Stephen Frears and writer Nick Hornby. New 10- minute episodes showweek- days on Sundance Now and SundanceTV. Classic pick: Michael Caine is ruthless as a cockney thug out for revenge in “ Get Carter ” (1971, R), a hard-edge thriller that made British crime cinema cool again. On Netflix. Foreign-language pick: A man (Jean Gabin) awaits his doom in Marcel Carné’s poetic master- piece “ Le Jour Se Lève ” (France, 1939, with subtitles). On Amazon Prime Video. Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand “ The LEGOMovie 2: The Second Part ” (2019, PG) ani- mates the world of interlocking toys for a new adventure. Also new: Asghar Farhadi’s drama/ thriller “ Everybody Knows ” (Spain, 2018, R, with subtitles), starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem as two people who were once in love. Available same day as select theaters nationwide is “ Her Smell ” (2019, R), with Eliza- beth Moss as a self-destructive punk rocker. Netflix “ Lucifer, ” starring Tom Ellis as the devil solving crimes in Los Angeles with a police detective (Lauren German), returns as a Netflix series. Also new: “ The Society: Season 1 ” follows a group of teens in a world with- out adults. True stories: “ The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution ” (2018, not rated) profiles seven women chefs. Amazon Prime Video Rosamund Pike plays real-life war correspondent Marie Colvin in “ A Private War ” (2018, R). True stories: “ Somm: Into the Bottle ” (2016, not rated) explores the history and culture of winemaking. HBO Now The documentary “ Foster ” (2019, not rated) explores the foster-care system in America. New on disc and at Redbox this week “The LEGOMovie 2: The Second Part,” “What Men Want,” “The Prodigy,” “Every- body Knows.” Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at streamondemandathome.com . C OU R T E S Y O F WA R N E R B R O S . P I C T U R E S Director Peter Jackson restored and colorized footage from World War I for the documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old.” This week brings releases that will ‘Not Grow Old’ NOW STREAMING “Veep” After seven seasons, the finale of the politi- cal satire series known for itswitty, crass dialogue and inside-the-Beltway humor, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as former U.S. Vice President SelinaMeyer, promises an epic ending to the story of Selina, her belea- guered staff andher presidential campaign; 10:50p.m. Sunday onHBO. Also on Sunday “Supergirl,” 8p.m. (KSTW): Leading up to the season finale, Kara is in an epic battle withRedDaughter; Alex realizes she’smiss- ing parts of hermemory; Brainy, Nia and J’onn set out to track down alienswho have been abducted. “The Simpsons,” 8p.m. (KCPQ): Season 30 finale of the longest-running sitcomon TV; after Homer’swork cuts health-care benefits,Marge uses healing crystals as a cheaper solution for Bart’s ADD, leading to her own crystals empire. “Bob’s Burgers,” 8:30p.m. (KCPQ): Season-nine finale; Zeke gets into trouble and the Belcher kids and Jimmy Jr. try to prevent himfrombeing sent to disciplinary school; Randy rents out Bob’s Burgers to shoot a film. “Game of Thrones,” 9p.m. (HBO): Lots of drama expected in the penultimate, 80- minute episode. “FamilyGuy,” 9p.m. (KCPQ): Season17 finale; whenBrian’s proposition to rename Quahog’s high school “AdamWest High” to honor the lateMayorWest is successful, he feels encouraged to run for office asQua- hog’s newmayor. “UnforgottenonMasterpiece,” 10p.m. (KCTS): Season-three finale; undermedia scrutiny, the teamraces to find the evidence they need to prove the identity of Hayley’s killer. “NCIS: Los Angeles,” 10p.m. (KIRO): David James Elliott reprises his role asHar- monRabb Jr. from“JAG,” themilitary legal drama that spun off the original “NCIS”; Callen andSamtravel to the PersianGulf to workwithCapt. Rabb Jr., investigating ISIS sympathizers targetingmilitary locations. TV PICKS