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Celebrating Toni Morrison

With Hanif Abdurraqib and Dionne Custer Edwards

Two of Ohio's most revered and beloved poets & authors, Hanif Abdurraqib and Dionne Custer Edwards will be in conversation celebrating Toni Morrison's legacy & discussing her influence on their work.

Toni Morrison Day is celebrated on February 18th in Ohio, commemorating the birth of the literary giant and possibly “the greatest Ohioan we’ve ever had,” as Hanif Abdurraqib remembers her. Morrison often used Ohio as a setting for her novels, from examining the influences and disparities of White and Black families living in post-Depression era Lorain in The Bluest Eye to exploring the insidious reach of slavery over the Ohio River in Beloved. Toni Morrison’s writing shed the white gaze and centered stories that explored the terrors, hopes, and dreams of Black lives and communities. Join us for a celebration of Toni Morrison with two of Ohio’s most revered poets and authors as Hanif Abdurraqib and Dionne Custer Edwards discuss the influences of Toni Morrison’s work on their own and celebrate the importance of her legacy as writers and Ohioans.

Thanks to Gramercy Books for partnering with us on this special program and for making books available for sale at the event.

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