by Public Service Associate Juliana
Happy Birthday, Toni Morrison! Mark your calendars! February 17th is Toni Morrison Day, and there’s no better time to immerse yourself in her work. Read, watch, listen, or attend, there are myriad ways to honor Morrison’s legacy.
- One of the most rewarding ways, of course, is to sink into one of her renowned novels. Reread something or choose a title that’s new to you. She’s one of my favorite authors to revisit at different stages of life. Here are a few to get you started. For more suggestions, come by the library and pick up a curated Toni Morrison booklist.
- The Bluest Eye (Morrison’s first novel) | print / Libby
- Beloved (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner) | print / Libby
- Song of Solomon (the National Book Critics Circle Award winner) | print / Libby
2. Watch a documentary. You can borrow one from the library or stream from Kanopy.
- Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am | dvd
- The Foreigner’s Home: Toni Morrison at the Louvre | Kanopy
- Sheer Good Fortune: Celebrating Toni Morrison | Kanopy
3. Listen to an audiobook. I suggest Miss Chloe, a memoir that invites you to sit in on lunch dates with Morrison, learn about her career and legacy, and see her not only as an icon but also a human being. Or browse Libby for a number of Morrison’s titles, fiction and nonfiction, in audiobook format.
- Miss Chloe: A Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison by A.J. Verdelle | Libby
4. Introduce Toni Morrison to a child, or simply enjoy a picture book yourself! Visit BPL’s youth department for one of her excellent children’s books co-written with her son, Slade Morrison.
5. Last but not least, join us here at the library for “Celebrating Toni Morrison” with Hanif Abdurraqib and Dionne Custer Edwards, Thursday, February 16 / 7:00 pm!