Penguin Random House: Robert Jones, Jr. In Conversation with Deesha Philyaw via Crowdcast

This stunning debut novel is about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in eachother, and a betrayal that threatens their existence. Edmund White’s starred Publishers Weekly review raved, “The lyricism of THE PROPHETS will recall the prose of James Baldwin … a masterpiece.” Entertainment Weekly calls the book “a new kind of epic…A grand achievement…While THE PROPHETS’ dreamy realism recalls the work of Toni Morrison…its penetrating focus on social dynamics stands out more singularly.”

Robert Jones, Jr., was born and raised in New York City. He received his BFA in creative writing with honors and MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Essence, OkayAfrica, The Feminist Wire, and The Grio. He is the creator of the social justice social media community “Son of Baldwin” (Facebook / IG / Twitter). Jones was recently featured in T Magazine‘s cover story, “Black Male Writers of Our Time” and the subject of an expansive profile in The New York Times.

Deesha Philyaw’s writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, the Rumpus, Brevity, Apogee Journal, Barrelhouse, Baltimore Review, Cheat River Review, Electric Literature, Harvard Review, and elsewhere. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, she currently lives in Pittsburgh with her daughters.