๐ In 1965, Toni Morrison began her career in publishing. Two years later, she became the first Black woman editor at Random House (@randomhouse), where she worked for more than 15 years.
โขโขโข
๐ธ Photo Cred: Robin Platzer/Twin Images
๐ Source: โToni Morrison.โ Encyclopaedia Britannica
THIS FRIDAY! Equal parts excited and trying to keep our composure. (Weโre not succeeding ๐) See you there! (20% off with code TONI26)
Get tickets: https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2026/02/20/on-morrison-a-conversation-about-toni-morrison-with-author-namwali-serpell
#ohiocelebratestonimorrison
1 WEEK AWAY!ย The Toni Morrison Book Club kicks off February 21 & 22, and we'd love for you to be part of it!
All through 2026, weโll be reading Morrisonโs novels together, moving in historical orderโfrom A Mercy (set in the 1680s) all the way to God Help the Child.
โWe die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.โ
โ Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture, 1993
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๐ธ Photo Cred: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters file
๐ Article Source: Nobel Prize Press Release, October 7, 1993
TOMORROW!ย Join Bexley Public Library @bexleylibraryon Sunday, February 15 for a special afternoon celebrating the life, words, and legacy of Toni Morrison, featuring readings from four incredible local local authors and artists.
Dr. Tia Pratt highlights Morrison's impact on her life: "๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐' ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป-๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ...โ
- American Review Magazine, 2019
A strong group of 18 held a really great discussion at Hexagon Books @hexagonbooks_worldlit last night!
Itโs a reminder that despite all thatโs going on in our worldโin the newsโpeople are quietly gathering around #peace.
๐ค Ever wondered what it was like to sit in a Toni Morrison class?ย ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ง๐ผ๐ป๐ถ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐-๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ:
๐ต In-person and virtual
Weโll read Morrisonโs novels in historical order.
Sign Up! https://linktr.ee/ohiocelebratestonimorrison
A question I get a LOT at writing events is, "How do I find a writing group?"
@literarycleveland.bsky.social has you covered! A Writing Group Matchmaking Session: www.litcleveland.org/events-progr...
We're kicking off a yearlong statewide celebration of Toni Morrison on February 18, 2026!
Spread the word, sign up for our newsletter, and join in the celebration.
ohiocelebratestonimorrison.org
Inkubator Free Writing Conference Deesha Philyaw + Kiese Laymon Get Real: Being Vulnerable in Fact and Fiction: Virtual Prose Panel Wed. Sep. 10 - 7:00 PM ET
African American writer Kiese Laymon
African American writer Deesha Philyaw
Today's writing session was not flowing & I knew exactly what to do instead, catch up on Inkubator Free Writing Conference ( #CleInk25 ) session "Get Real: Being Vulnerable in Fact and Fiction" w/ @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social + Kiese Laymon hosted by
@literarycleveland.bsky.social
Mod by Kenyon Farrow
First Writing Conference in the books!! ๐๐ Inkubator 2025 was such an AMAZING experience! So grateful to Literary Cleveland!! @literarycleveland.bsky.social
From the #quote book this week, fresh off the @literarycleveland.bsky.social Inkubator '25 writing conference: "A story is not an explanation. It's a separate place of possibility." - Katie Kitamura
I had a FANTASTIC time, overall, at Literary Cleveland's Inkubator Writing Conference.
But what made it stand out, especially in a time when so many bookish events have been...chaotic?
โจNetworking
โจSessions
โจCommunity
โจConference Experience
#CLEInk25 @literarycleveland.bsky.social
๐ below โฌ
Beautiful old room full of 60ish people while I present on rethinking time in NF
More of the same. They're all writing here
Having a great day so far at the Inkubator Conference run by @literarycleveland.bsky.social. Free to the public, tons of people, well organized, and great energy. Huge turnout for my memoir session yoo
Wow, what a morning ! @literarycleveland.bsky.social , Inkubator where have you been all of my life ๐ฅฐ.
I had a BLAST at the @literarycleveland.bsky.social Writing Inkubator!
I attended 7 sessions full of writing craft tips and inspiration. But the best part is always being in a room with other writers!
I cannot wait to take what I learned and apply it to my own writing!!
#WritingCommunity
Cover of the 2025 program to Inkubator, Literary Cleveland's annual free writing conference
I had a great day in Cleveland at the @literarycleveland.bsky.social writing conference.
What a night! Thanks for packing the house. See you soon!
๐ 2025 #Inkubator Writing Conference is this weekend here in Cleveland!
Head up out of my edits and finally looking over my schedule ๐คฉ
Starting TONIGHT with the kickoff mixer at Loganberry Books--will I see anyone awesome there (like you)??
@literarycleveland.bsky.social #CLEInk25
#SkyWriters
TONIGHT! FREE!
Donโt miss our last free virtual Inkubator event with Kiese Laymon & Deesha Philyaw on the courage to be vulnerable in writing.
WED SEPT 10 7-8:30PM ET
Register for free at inkubator.litcleveland.org
TONIGHT!
Donโt miss our free virtual Inkubator event with Franny Choi & Danez Smith on how to go on as writers after the unsurvivable.
TUES SEPT 9 7-8:30PM ET
Register for free at inkubator.litcleveland.org
What a conversation! They were incredible.
Three Black women: Eve Ewing (upper left), Imani Perry (upper right), Joy Bostic
Awesome insights on writing themes, practices & more from @eveewing.bsky.social
(pictured upper left) & @imaniperry.bsky.social (upper right) during "Stories We Tell: How History Shapes Us" eventย with moderator Joy R. Bostic (lower center) for conference convened by @literarycleveland.bsky.social.
And check out the full free Inkubator Writing Conference lineup at inkubator.litcleveland.org
Don't miss our free virtual events Sep 8-10 with Dr. Eve. L. Ewing & Dr. Imani Perry, Franny Choi & Danez Smith, and Kiese Laymon & Deesha Philyaw.
Register for one or all events for free!
www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-inkub...
Still time to register for this and hang with me in Cleveland
Check out the photos from our (literal) underground zine reading this past weekend!
Pick up your copy of the Odes to Infrastructure zine at our free Inkubator Writing Conference Sep 12-13 or at Clean Water Fest Sep 20.
man in an orange hard hat and yellow Clean Water Fest shirt descends a cement stairwell into a tunnel, walking behind a line of others in the same hard hat.
a woman in safety goggles, white hard hat, and yellow safety vest in a tunnel hallway distributes booklets to a group. They all wear orange hard hats and await their copy. She smiles excitedly as she hands out the materials.
unique partnership w/@literarycleveland.bsky.social brought writers together to craft a sewer-inspired zine with our team, then welcomed them to our Southerly plant where they read/recorded their submissions last weekend.
grab the zine at #CleanWaterFest 9/20. (video/pod content coming soon, too.)
