Below is a list of digital essays by Black women and non-binary writers paying tribute to Toni Morrison prompted by her death on August 5, 2019. Essays are organized in descending order by publication date. If there’s a piece not listed here but should be, kindly let me know (include author name(s), URL, and publication). I’ll continue to update. You can also find a collection of tributes from all writers compiled by Howard Rambsy at Cultural Front.
In solidarity and in the spirit of #CiteBlackWomen - Tara L. Conley (Founder, Hashtag Feminism).
Daphne A. Brooks, Toni Morrison and the Music of Black Life. (August 15, 2019). Pitchfork.
Tara L. Conley, In Toni Morrison’s Hometown, the Familiar Has Become Foreign. (August 14, 2019). CityLab.
Syreeta McFadden, What Toni Morrison Knew About Trump. (August 13, 2019). The Atlantic.
Jamilah Lemieux, What Toni Morrison’s, The Bluest Eye, Taught Me About Being a Black Girl in America. (August 12, 2019). Refinery29.
Mary Helen Washington, How much Toni Morrison meant. (August 11, 2019). The Washington Post.
Tracy K Smith, Toni Morrison remembered: ‘Her irreverence was godly’. (August 11, 2019). The Guardian.
Jesmyn Ward, I Was Wandering. Toni Morrison Found Me. (August 9, 2019). The New York Times.
Michelle Obama, Esi Edugyan, Sherrilyn Ifill, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Tayari Jones, Jacqueline Woodson, Michele L. Norris, Leah Wright Riguer. Beloved: Eight black female writers and thinkers on Toni Morrison’s life and legacy. (August 9, 2019). The Washington Post.
Roxane Gay, The Legacy of Toni Morrison. (August 9, 2019). The New York Times.
Jade Bentil, “Do it all, my sisters”: The imaginative worlds of Toni Morrison. (August 8, 2019). Prospect.
Regina Robertson, Remembering The Magic of Toni Morrison. (August 7, 2019). Essence.
Amari Boyd, Toni Morrison Taught Black Women, ‘You Are Your Best Thing’. (August 7, 2019). ZORA.
Tina McElroy Ansa, She Taught Me the Value and Intelligence of Nature in Writing. (August 7, 2019). ZORA.
Rebecca Carroll, Meaning, Without the White Gaze. (August 7, 2019). The Atlantic.
Zora Editors, A Letter From the Editors on Toni Morrison. (August 7, 2019). ZORA.
Tayari Jones, ‘The Most Formidable Mind of Our Times.’ Tayari Jones Honors Toni Morrison’s Work and Legacy. (August 7, 2019). Time.
Stacia L. Brown, Toni Morrison taught me that I owe myself my whole self. (August 7, 2019). The Washington Post.
Nadia Owusu, In Toni Morrison’s words, I found the wisdom and protection my mother wasn’t able to provide. (August 7, 2019). The Lily.
Akwaeke Emezi, This Letter Isn’t For You: On The Toni Morrison Quote That Changed My Life. (August 7, 2019). them.
Imani Perry, Yearning for a Blessing From Toni Morrison. (August 7, 2019). The Cut.
Charlene Carruthers, Toni Morrison’s Work Taught Us That Blackness is Queer. (August 7, 2019). Out Magazine.
Zadie Smith, Daughters of Toni: A Remembrance. (August 7, 2019). Pen America.
Jonita Davis, Toni Morrison Saved My Sister and Me with ‘The Bluest Eye’. (August 7, 2019). Medium.
Eisa Nefertari Ulen, Toni Morrison’s Black Art Spoke in a Nation That Would Silence Us. (August 7, 2019). Truth Out.
Doreen St. Félix, Toni Morrison and What Our Mothers Couldn’t Say. (August 7, 2019). The New Yorker.
Angela Davis and Farah Jasmine Griffin, Toni Morrison, Revolutionary Political Thinker. (August 7, 2019). The New York Times.
Imani E. Wilson, Toni Morrison: Rise In Love. (August 7, 2019). AfroPunk.
A.J. Verdelle, The Priceless Advice Toni Morrison Gave Me. (August 7, 2019). The New York Times.
Rosemarie Robotham, Toni Morrison and the Function of Freedom: A Moving Tribute from Her Former Intern. (August 6, 2019). Essence.
M. Yvonne Taylor, Toni Morrison: The Woman Who Taught Me That I’m Not Alone, From ‘The Bluest Eye’ to ‘Beloved’. (August 6, 2019). The Daily Beast.