COLUMBUS, Ohio — The life and legacy of Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning author and Ohio native, will be honored during a yearlong celebration beginning Wednesday, which would have marked her 95th birthday.
Morrison, born in Lorain in 1931, will be recognized with events that begin in Columbus and culminate in her hometown. The series, titled “Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison,” will feature readings and discussions, author talks, writing contests, school activities, film screenings, live performances and other activities.
The celebration is organized by Ohio Humanities, Literary Cleveland, the Ohioana Library, the Ohio Center for the Book, the Toni Morrison Society and other partners. The programming will include events for both adults and children across the region.
“Our ambition is for every person in Ohio — young and old — to engage with Toni Morrison’s life, literature and legacy over the next year,” said Matt Weinkam, executive director of Literary Cleveland. “This is our opportunity to celebrate the greatest artist in our state’s history. Her writing challenges and inspires us as much today as when it was first published, and we can’t wait to bring it to life this year all across Ohio.”
The schedule will align with America250, a national initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and honoring prominent Americans.
“Through her incredible storytelling, Toni Morrison became a powerful advocate for the power of literature and art to promote democracy worldwide,” said Rebecca Asmo, executive director of Ohio Humanities.
Several central Ohio events are planned for Feb. 18, including:
– Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison – Kickoff Event: The official launch will be held at an invitation-only event in Columbus and livestreamed statewide from 5 to 8 p.m. The program will feature a conversation between writers Hanif Abdurraqib and Namwali Serpell. The livestream is free with online registration.
– AARP Coffee Shop Conversation – A Brain Health Birthday Party for Toni Morrison: A free event from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Bexley Public Library will include guided writing, relaxed conversation, birthday treats and coffee.
– Celebrate Toni Morrison’s Legacy: “Beloved” Movie Screening: The Pickerington Public Library will host a free screening of the 1998 film “Beloved,” based on Morrison’s 1987 novel, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Morrison published her first novel, “The Bluest Eye,” in 1970 and went on to write 10 more books, several set in Ohio. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for “Beloved” and, in 1993, became the first Black American and Ohioan to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Morrison died Aug. 5, 2019, at age 88.
“Though she is no longer with us, her work — and her words — remain alive and more relevant than ever,” Asmo said.
More information, including reading and discussion guides, podcasts and a statewide event calendar, is available on the project’s interactive website.
