With Morrison’s influence on the literary world in mind, writers and book lovers took to Twitter to talk about the lasting legacy of her work. Here is a round-up of Book Twitter’s tributes to Toni Morrison. President Barack Obama, author and notorious book lover, recognized Morrison as a national treasure.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 6, 2019 Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay recognized Morrison’s elegant storytelling.
— roxane gay (@rgay) August 6, 2019 Poet and nonfiction writer Kevin Young, author of Bunk, stopped by an impromptu tribute to Morrison.
— Kevin Young (@Deardarkness) August 6, 2019 Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Patsy, visited another bench dedicated to Morrison at Howard University.
— Nicole Dennis-Benn (@ndennis_benn) August 6, 2019 Iconic romance author Beverly Jenkins reflected on what Toni Morrison meant to her.
— Beverly Jenkins (@authorMsBev) August 6, 2019 Actress and author Whoopi Goldberg recognized Morrison as “power at its best”.
— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) August 6, 2019 Journalist Dani Kwateng-Clark noted how Morrison’s work impacted today’s writers.
- Taking up space 2. Writing with intention 3. Telling our own stories 4. Having a POV 5. And not creating simply to be palatable for white consumption That’s the table Toni Morrison —who was talking about all of this 30, 40 years ago— was setting for us. pic.twitter.com/0ZErDNEEpV — Dani Kwateng-Clark (@danikwateng) August 6, 2019 Michael W. Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene, reflected on one of her greatest accomplishments.
— Michael W. Twitty (@KosherSoul) August 6, 2019 And Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, shared what he learned from Morrison.
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) August 6, 2019 National Book Award winning author Ibram X. Kendi said that all writers are indebted to Morrison.
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) August 6, 2019 Some found solace in Toni Morrison’s own words:
— akwaeke emezi (@azemezi) August 6, 2019
— Carmen Maria Machado (@carmenmmachado) August 6, 2019
— COMMON (@common) August 6, 2019
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) August 6, 2019 Others found inspiration in Morrison’s journey:
— Sabrina Mahfouz (@SabrinaMahfouz) August 7, 2019
— rachel syme (@rachsyme) August 6, 2019 Jose Antonio Vargas, author of Dear America, imagined a better place for Morrison.
Imagine: Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, all up in heaven. Heavenly. — Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) August 7, 2019 And Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere, used her grief as inspiration.
— Celeste Ng (@pronounced_ing) August 6, 2019 Learn more about Toni Morrison’s work and legacy: Where to Begin with Toni Morrison Books 18 Toni Morrison Quotes on Love, Race, and Literature Why I’m Thankful for Toni Morrison’s THE BLUEST EYE
