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Connections

Connections: Remembering the life and work of Toni Morrison

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison died last week at the age of 88. Morrison is perhaps best known for her work, “Beloved,” but her work spans six decades and includes novels, children’s books, plays, an opera, and more. As reported by Time Magazine, Morrison was largely ignored as a writer for about a decade in the 1970s, but that changed and she “widened the nation’s literary canon, serving as its conscience through trying times and establishing herself as the keeper of its marginalized histories.” She was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature, among many other accolades.

This hour, we’re joined by local writers who discuss Morrison’s life and work, and her legacy reflecting and influencing the lives of black Americans. In studio:

  • Leslie C. Youngblood, author of “Love Like Sky”
  • Tokeya C. Graham, English professor, and founder of “We All Write” black women’s writing consortium
  • Lu Highsmith, program director of LuCreations Production, former leader of the Roc Bottom Slam Poetry team, and member of “We All Write” black women’s writing consortium

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Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.