4th Annual Toni Morrison Day is February 18

Toni Morrison has her own day in her home state of Ohio!

The legendary novelist’s birthday, February 18, is officially Toni Morrison Day in Ohio. Morrison, known for novels such as Song of Solomon and Beloved, was born and raised in Lorain, and her early novels, The Bluest Eye and Sula, were both set in Ohio. During her career, Morrison received the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She passed away in 2019. 

Championing the cause of honoring Morrison were two State Representatives: Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) and Joe Miller (D-Amherst). Their legislation, House Bill 325, was strongly supported by the OLC and was signed into law by Gov. DeWine on Dec. 21, 2020.

Check out any one of her titles from the Wright Library catalog.

For more information, visit the Toni Morrison Society Official Website.

About Toni Morrison

Morrison was born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18th, 1931, and is universally recognized as one of the greatest American writers in modern history. Her novel Beloved, first published in 1987, was an international sensation and in 2016 was voted the best work of American fiction of the previous 25 years; it is not controversial to suggest that nothing has been published since to challenge its crown. In 1993, Morrison became the first—and as of now, the only—Black American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her work has influenced, changed, and inspired both readers—like Kamala Harris and Barack Obama—and writers—from Ocean Vuong to Keah Brown to Rich Benjamin.