Nia Gooden - Engage with the Toni Morrison Society on Instagram (3 points)

 

     Listening to Toni Morrison’s words in the video posted to the Tony Morrison Society instagram left me feeling enlightened as usual, and even more grateful that I get to learn from a curriculum that centers Morrison’s literary genius. It was a welcomed variation of the typical conversations we have about Toni Morrison in Dr. Hite’s English 193 class. In the video Morrison discusses the journey toward getting her writing published, speaking passionately about the meaning and orchestration of her writing, similarly, in class we connect what we know about Morrison’s process to the details of pieces in her corpus. Morrison’s writing experiences only multiply the reverence that I have for her, especially hearing her speak with such clarity about work originating from a practice that was transformative for her and rooted in herself. It was touching to hear that she began writing when she was in a “lonely place”; exemplifying how Black women have historically alchemized our pain and suffering into talent, love, art, and more. She confessed, “It was a way of talking then, so I talked to myself”. This to me seemed like the most actualized form of intellectual sovereignty as it can be applied to one’s personal life. Morrison’s words came as a comfort to herself and she was able to recognize the validity of this form of communication, art, and literary work even when it was merely language for her. 

There were a few statements from Morrison that stood out to me as self proclaimed logophile, and an occasional hobby writer. Hearing Morrison write in reference to writing, “Things that were incoherent before made sense when I manipulated it” affected me. It seems to be the perfect explanation for the power of language when utilized artfully. I was surprised that Morrison remarked, “I certainly hope that I am a successful writer” though it was a testament to her admirable, unrelenting humility. Finally, Morrison's proclamation that when she wrote she was able to employ all the beautiful things that made “life worth living” was an expression of the characteristics of truly fantastic writing.

                                                      By: Nia Gooden