Happy 88th Birthday, Toni Morrison!

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

Today, one of the most important voices in contemporary literature and one of my personal literary heroes, Ms. Toni Morrison, is celebrating her 88th birthday! Besides the fact that living to age 88 is cause enough for celebration, Morrison also has a brand new book of nonfiction essays out. It’s called The Source of Self-Regard and it is a collection of Morrison’s musings on society, culture and art. I hope that when I’m 88, I’m still mentally spry enough to turn out beautiful and impactful writing.

I have to be honest, the reason Toni Morrison is one of my literary heroes has nothing to do with her books or that we were both born in February. I consider Morrison (and Zora Neale Hurston) my literary patron saints because of their unwavering determination and unapologetic attitude in telling Black stories. Toni Morrison never apologizes for centering Black lives in her literature and she never bends to publishing trends. I had the pleasure of meeting Morrison in person when she came to Philadelphia in 2015 as part of her God Help the Child book tour. She was even more inspiring in person as she is on the page.

Here’s one of my favorite Toni Morrison quotes. It’s the message that has inspired every single one of my books. I hope it inspires some of you too:

“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”—Toni Morrison

Happy Birthday, Ms. Toni Morrison!