The Department of English is kicking off their annual Toni Morrison Day on Feb. 17, a day before the late poet’s would-be 92nd birthday. This marks Monmouth University’s fourth year honoring Morrison through a series of events and contests.
Morrison was an accomplished novelist who also won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. She is known best for her portrayal of the history and future of Black culture and life. Morrison’s work aid in the education of diversity and inclusion, which is exactly what Monmouth aims to do by celebrating such a monumental author.
This year, the events will take place on Friday, Feb. 17 from 10:15 a.m.–3:45 p.m. in the Great Hall Auditorium. The event will kick off with guest keynote speaker, Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin, the inaugural chair of the African American and African Diaspora Studies department at Columbia University. She is also the author of eight books and a professor in English and Comparative Literature. Griffin’s talk will be from 10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m.
Lecturers of English Noel Belinski and Linda Sacks of the Toni Morrison Day committee, stated, “As Monmouth prides itself on inclusion and diversity, it is a privilege to have Griffin speak as part of this year’s events on our theme of Resilience.”
As per the website of Griffin’s publishing company, W. W. Norton’s, “Griffin has spent years rooted in the culture of Black genius and the legacy of books that her father left her. A beloved professor, she has devoted herself to passing these works and their wisdom on to generations of students. Griffin entwines memoir, history, and art while she keeps her finger on the pulse of the present, asking us to grapple with the continuing struggle for Black freedom and the ongoing project that is American democracy.”
From 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m., there will be a group discussion on Morrison’s only short story, “Recitatif,” which is available to read as a PDF on The Department of English’s website.
In a piece published in The New Yorker, novelist Zadie Smith stated, “There are eleven novels and one short story, all of which [Morrison] wrote with specific aims and intentions. It’s hard to overstate how unusual this is…With ‘Recitatif,’ she was explicit. This extraordinary story was specifically intended as an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial.”
Among all of the events in place for Toni Morrison Day, there are also two contests in which students interested in writing and design can participate: a creative writing contest sponsored by the Monmouth Review, and a poster contest. Both allow students to engage with the theme of resilience that Toni Morrison has fostered through her works.
The winners of the creative writing contest will read their work and the winners of the poster contest will be announced from 1:15 p.m.–2:00 p.m. The contests are open to all Monmouth University students and while the creative writing contest is now closed, the deadline for the poster contest has been extended to Feb. 3.
Madyson Lagotta, a junior graphic design student and one of the judges for the poster contest, said, “The Toni Morrison Day Digital Poster Competition is an opportunity for any full-time, undergraduate student at Monmouth to showcase their skills. For art students especially, participating in contests like this is a wonderful opportunity to build your portfolio.”
“This year’s theme is ‘resilience,’” Lagotta continued. “Artists may look into any aspect of Tony Morrison’s work and legacy to come up with imagery for their posters. What will be interesting to see is how artists look back at Morrison’s legacy and how they may relate the imagery to current issues.” This theme is a reflection of Toni Morrison and her work, as it highlights the Black community and the struggles often faced.
Sarah Van Clef, Editor in Chief of the Monmouth Review and creative writing MFA graduate student, said, “The Toni Morrison Day creative contest is important because it not only highlights and illustrates the impact and positive influence that The works of Toni Morrison has on our campus community, but also how this important work has inspiring so many of us to create our own art in her memory.”
She continued, “The works of Toni Morrison, from Song of Solomon to The Bluest Eye, have brought up many important critical conversations in many of our English classes both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a graduate student and judge for the contest, I am honored to see these emanating conversations come alive on the page.”
Lastly, a student symposium analyzing Toni Morrison’s novel, Sula, from different lenses will be held from 2:45 p.m.–3:45 p.m. It will be moderated by Brittany Biesiada, Ph.D, Instructor of English.
Noel Belinski concluded, “Resilience is the ability to adapt to and overcome adversity. Successful personal experience may be the very best foundation of resilience. But a valuable substitute—or addition—is the opportunity to experience the resilience of another through their art. And there is no better opportunity than reading Toni Morrison and through it appreciating the roles of the individual, family, and community in overcoming adversity, in learning resilience.”
