NEW YORK (AP) — Media mogul Oprah Winfrey surprised author Tayari Jones with a personal visit to announce her latest book club selection.
Rather than using her traditional methods of surprise phone calls or unexpected video appearances during virtual meetings, Winfrey chose to deliver the news in person. She appeared at the Penguin Random House publishing offices in Manhattan while Jones was meeting with her publisher about her new novel “Kin.”
This marks the second time Winfrey has chosen one of Jones’ works, having previously selected her critically praised 2018 work “An American Marriage” for the influential book club.
“I’m a two-fer!” Jones said enthusiastically, exchanging high-fives with Winfrey during the surprise encounter.
Jones’ latest work, “Kin,” hit bookstores Tuesday and represents her fifth published novel. The story begins in the 1950s and traces the journeys of young girls without mothers from Honeysuckle, Louisiana, exploring how their paths separate over time. Winfrey described the book in her announcement as being “like a trip back home, like a visit with my own ‘kin’ I hadn’t seen in a long while.”
“It is masterful and reminds us of the true bonds we share with family, whether biological or chosen,” Winfrey stated.
Viewers can watch Winfrey’s conversation with Jones on the Oprah YouTube channel and various podcast platforms.
“To be selected for Oprah’s Book Club is a writer’s dream, and to be chosen twice is a stunning gift,” Jones commented in an official statement. She has previously credited the “An American Marriage” selection as a career-changing moment. “Oprah knows that our stories will heal us. For decades she has elevated the voices of the world — book by book. Like the old folks say, I’m honored to be one in that number.”
The Tuesday announcement made no reference to Winfrey’s previous collaboration with Starbucks, where coffee shop locations served as interview venues since “Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks” began in 2024. Representatives for both Starbucks and Winfrey confirmed their partnership concluded at the end of 2025, though they declined to provide details about the decision. Winfrey had previously maintained a multi-year agreement with Apple TV+.
