Toni Morrison and Junot Díaz

Live from the New York Public Library.

[@rolijain3985]

She is a mystic with a magical voice and very clear mind. Listening to this third time. She can never die. People like her permeate your soul with their magnificence !

[@ellengreenlaw8839]

Toni Morrison- what a woman. Example of an elder woman who brings light, grace and beauty into the world. I miss her so much.

[@tania0070]

Hands down best interview. Never saw Toni laugh so much. RIP beautiful woman.

[@dilligaf24824]

This women is so powerful. Her words; so silky, and her aura.

[@happylindsay4475]

Toni Morrison grew me in parts of my soul that were stunted, trapped in a place where I could not access, did not have the language to access. Dr.Morrison- through her writing, her capacity to feel and think her way through experiences that most of us can’t even fathom-she gave those things voice and shape. I am astounded and inspired by her genius, her gift for language that sings off the pages. She has healed me in ways too numerous and private to write. My heart aches at the thought that the world will be denied more of your wisdom, your brilliance. But, you left an incredible body of work to guide and profoundly challenge countless generations yet to come.Thank you Ms.Chloe Wofford. See you on the other side. 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@m.b.1702]

Wish I could've had Dr. Toni Morrison as my college professor 💖💜💖 thank you for uploading this. I truly admire this beautiful writing ICON!!! Learning from Her is Priceless!!🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟⭐🌟

[@myrtlew.ferrande1509]

Awesome, brilliant, gifted, beautiful, queenly Dame Toni Morrison - thanks for a body of work that speaks volumes - you will be missed. RIP

[@ericahubbard8550]

Tony Morrison is absolutely brilliant! I can listen to her speak non-stop.

[@jeanette1946]

this is one of the best interviews of Toni Morrison that i have ever seen. Junot Díaz did a magnificent job. thanks so much for uploading this gem.

[@blahblaheeh10]

I can imagine Junot just freaking out thinking about the fact that he is about to speak to Toni Morrison. He is wearing a fucking suit. He has loved her for a long, long time and it is so obvious in his gaze.

[@grayrachelle]

What an amazing interview. Great questions and topics from Junot Díaz.

[@fig1]

A great conversation between two amazing authors. Thanks for posting!

[@IfeNaima]

This is such an interesting interview, especially getting to know Brother Junot Diaz. Two heavy intellectuals who can break it down for the common person.

[@RandomPersonette]

Watched the whole damn thing and enjoyed every second.

[@annaserraividal9502]

Love her, loved the whole converation. Thank you for sharing it!

[@FrankTaveras]

Disclaimer: never read any of her books but I knew this would be an awesome video to watch, no matter how long it was. And now I'll make sure I get my hands on one or two of her books!!

[@kaigeddes]

I would recommend "Beloved."

[@patricias5122]

I am envious of someone who has not yet read, Song of Solomon. Oh, man, to be reading that for the first time again!

[@wandawilcox]

She's the BELOVED Toni Morrison!

[@SMC1986]

I love her so so much!! Wonderfully eloquent woman!

[@Mpirefilms]

I wish I had been able to take a class with her in college. Take all my tuition money ---take it all.

[@yvettem.holland5072]

May Ms. Morrison rest in peace

[@ZeeTheGreat333]

She mentioned those dark steps. Lol wow. I had that same feeling at 5 years old after reading the black book around the kitchen table with my family. Watching my mother and stepfather leafing through the pages of beauty and horror. By the time we finished it was late and time for bed and some of the imagery in that boom made that long walk down the short dark hallway nerve-wracking. I was today years old when I found out she had a hand in the publishing of the most memorable book from nu childhood. That's so wild to me. RIP Professor Morrison. Amazing woman

[@TheCynthiaCook]

her GRACE and POISE is like ... beyond

[@robinsamuels1864]

Wow. what a wonderful interview. Soror Toni Morrison you are the best

[@Virgil200]

I love how Junot Diaz has Toni Morrison cracking up.

[@kasnarfburns210]

I think this Junot Diaz is an excellent interviewer!!!

[@miahansford]

brilliant. so glad this exists for people to watch. Junot is so beautiful in his humor and respect.

[@michellebond3295]

82?....NO WAY. Ms. Morrison is totally amazing.

[@lol_igotthis3821]

I know right? I was thinking the same thing.

[@lol_igotthis3821]

***** Nooooooooo

[@KSmall109CAB]

She was born February 18, 1931.

[@ernestinemorrison2799]

Black don't crack folks, it's in our DNA, have you seen Cicely Tyson, Lena Horne, et. al.?

[@SelviY]

i love them both so much.

[@ss065n]

Rest in Heaven

[@KSmall109CAB]

She's having a heavenly reading with Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Amiri Baraka.

[@ernestinemorrison2799]

What a loss of her physical presence and yet undue gratitude to be able to go online or to NYPL and access her words and spiritually deep thinking so evolved you must read a sentence over and over to finally come to a place of acceptance and resolution. Not crazy about him, having read about some sexual improprieties , after choosing to read up on him. The woman she spoke of who paid her the kindness, as a single parent, is who Black folks were and did before integration. Recognize, when we were still colored and demonstrated our Motherland values as Southerners. Yes, putting a handle on the name of an elder (honoring the wisdom and knowledge) is where our generation came from, never, ever would we address an older person as though she/he was our peer. We have become too like Europeans than African ancestors. What a pity we lost who we were and acclimated ourselves to those who today still oppress us regardless too how much dignity and respect we show them. Home to the ancestors worthy servant .

[@DaBobbinator]

This is amazing. What a blessing to be able to witness this depth of interview.

[@gibranlewis7300]

A(n) (inevitably) profoundly interesting conversation between two wonderfully talented literary artists/writers.

[@joshbaumgardt1167]

I think that Toni Morrison is such an amazing writer and speaker. The work that she is doing for her community is very admirable. I really enjoyed hearing her talk about Beloved and how she came to see the woodshed scene as a way in which a mother can love and protect her child.

[@Andrea-gr9if]

she glows when she speaks

[@KSmall109CAB]

That's because she's an angel!

[@aundreadalrymple714]

ahhh. SAINT

[@peanut20002001]

Plan to drive to PA from central NJ just to be able to hear her read for 1/2 an hour.

[@fourclaws]

AMAZING. Thanks for posting.

[@deuteronomydeeznutz4278]

I love the thought of Toni Morrison googling random superhero references while she was reading the life of Oscar Wao...

[@410BK]

Thank you for the upload!

[@pford9653]

josh Begley,Thanks for uploading this lecture!

[@margaretopine9395]

MORRISON, QUEEN OF LITERATURE....there's plenty of room; so writer's get to work. Give us quality literature....create a cult or a church; Morrison rather sanctifies our taste in something highly spiritual. To read Morrison is to reach beyond one's self. (To read Morrison, to experience Morrison is to reach, to reach, to reach....this master of literature.) Such hard work for us. BACK IN THE DAY WHEN MORRISON'S STAR ROSE TO THE GREATEST HEIGHTS AND IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF COMPUTERS I wrote something like that to a woman who was so frustrated with Morrison and wanted to tear her down, tear her apart because she couldn't understand Morrison. I told her she had to reach because Morrison is a master of literature. And she wrote something nasty like: "She can't be. She's stupid and ignorant. She's nothing. Everybody knows that slavery wasn't that bad."' That is exactly what was said to Margaret Garner telling her there was absolutely no reason to kill her child because '''enslavement is not that bad.''' TONI MORRISON... A MASTER OF LITERATURE...A QUEEN OF ARTS.

[@KSmall109CAB]

Toni Morrison is hard to understand for those who are not initiated to Ms. Morrison's reality. My mom had a 9th grade education but seemingly understood Ms. Morrison's books and the characters therein.

[@aundreadalrymple714]

someone said to me Tony Morrrison is country. A wholeness beyond.

[@candiyoung7027]

jbegley9, thank you for uploading this. What a great interview. I'm sharing.

[@banditqueenpress]

thanks for posting!

[@trav4victory1]

I love her.

[@LisaKinnard]

incredible

[@kevaughncampbell7343]

best living writer

[@williamrobinson6059]

kevaughn Campbell Eh. Thomas Pynchon is inhuman.

[@valve6642]

I absolutely LOVED Paradise.

[@brutusalwaysminded]

Morrison talks of a time "when racism hurt and could kill you if you believed it." Unfortunately, that day isn't over for many. It still informs much of American culture and remains lethal.

[@aprilward2388]

WONDERFUL...

[@themusicgreek]

brillian, wit & humor. the best attributes. So inspiring!

[@conniewalker-carter5835]

A Wonderful Way Wow conversation.

[@TheCynthiaCook]

two geniusessssss

[@melyme1409]

Great interview RIP👑

[@Faaade_]

omg shes talking about Recitatif!

[@shisirparajuli4123]

Awesome.

[@mountainlinx]

Marvelous Exchange

[@janaecamri]

She was loved.

[@andrespaz3107]

She was a writer, a novelist, but the reality is that she wrote her novels based on historical realities, better than many white "historians" who hide many "inconvenient" truths about black history. I read her novel "Beloved" based on the life, and death, of Margaret Garner. I recommended to read it.

[@homonymph]

45:20 is so fucking powerful.

[@BDNIGGAH420]

I TOTALLY AGREE

[@patricias5122]

"The axis of his world shifted when he read Song of Solomon." This is not an exaggeration. Reading Song of Solomon, you feel this physical shock go through your body.

[@xyzllii]

Brilliant !

[@4400Monster1]

They forgot about they Bluest eye that has a sense of female friendship

[@TwinkleStore]

Junot is a badass! I wonder if he's a feminist too.

[@maryseo.]

Irina Irina i think he is based on interviews from here

[@wolfwind1]

Great interview. Too bad Diaz couldn't be more respectful regarding his choice of language in the presence of one of the greatest writers in the English language.

[@moniquebrown7778]

I wish that this guy was more respectful with his language when speaking with Ms. Morrison, he’s so vulgar, “We” (People who respect their elders) don’t speak like that to or in front of “our” elders,...... This statement is my opinion & if you agree with me great, if you don’t agree with me that’s fine to, but know that I can careless why you disagree with me, I don’t want to know why you disagree with me, who cares that you disagree with me.

[@longbui1642]

Monique Brown uhm. her books full of profanity and sex!

[@KSmall109CAB]

I think Junot Diaz was quite respectful. However, Junot Diaz has a mouth. I am sure that if Ms. Morrison didn't like his use of profanity she would have told him, just like she told him that the narrative related to Muhammad Ali and her was a false one.

[@indigospoplife]

referring to him as "this guy" suggests that you don't know who he is. TM did. And was happy to be in his presence. Junot Diaz is one of the respected future writers. And he writes from a very real, at times coarse, perspective. He respects Toni. And she knew it and obviously had no problems with him. Absorb it from her perspective, if you can.

[@moniquebrown7778]

Indigo Moor, I don’t know who he is, I don’t care who he is, my point was that, our community, The Black community, usually has more respect in front of our elders & esp. when speaking to our elders

[@moniquebrown7778]

Long Bui, And??? My point is that my community, the Black community, usually has more respect for our elders, esp. when speaking to our elders. Her craft was writing truth, life, etc. Sex & profanity is an essential part of reality

[@yodalibre]

@13:30 audience (up to 15:33-15:58)

[@539jchat]

The Muhammad Ali story is very interesting on how to control a man. I wonder what happened in her relationship with her husband. Why her marriage ended in divorce. She tells the Ali story as if Ali was a little boy that only needed a stern motherly matron to establish control.

[@UnknownNewYorker]

1. Explain Morrison's use of metaphors that involve animals. 2. Why does Diaz find this use of metaphors so compelling? 3. Who was Margaret Garner? 4. Why does Morrison create Beloved? 5. Discuss something you learned from the clip (or something that was salient, meaningful, messed-up, etc.)

[@angelosue6044]

The young lady sitting behind Junot got screwed.....

[@angelosue6044]

whoops. i take that back.

[@TheThriftQueen]

Lowkey, him cursing in front of her was pissing me off. Maybe it’s just me, but she wasn’t trippin so it is what it is 🤷🏽‍♀️lol

[@Clarkbias]

TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!

[@hvalesque2398]

Toni Morrison would find the pearl clutching over the strong language a little petty. Is Junot Diaz asking and saying things of substance or not? That’s all that mattered. I think she would especially find it interesting that the idea of respect for elders in the black community is allowed to distract from the substance of the exchange.

[@artisttemple8268]

1:17:45

[@prognition970]

Most important writer writing in english today? Guess I’ll just throw away all of my McCarthy, Pynchon, DeLillo, Chabon, and Franzen books. Song of Soloman is a masterpiece but let’s not dilute ourselves...

[@prognition970]

To be fair, I know she has passed, but Diaz really ate her ass whole up there.

[@tww1671]

"Write about a young Mexican women who works at a restaurant who can't speak English" 1:21:00 . In seconds Morrison puts on the lenses of the white gaze. For all I admire of her, I'm taken aback by her stereotypical view of Mexicans ( or did she mean all Latin Americans? which then makes it even worse). Disappointed.

[@KSmall109CAB]

Ms. Morrison makes the same analogy in her documentary, "The Pieces I Am." If you have a chance to see Ms. Morrison in person again, perhaps you should ask her about the analogy. You can also write Ms. Morrison and see what she has to say. Hopefully Ms. Morrison is like Mahatma Gandhi and will write you back.

[@kaigeddes]

Maybe I just don't like his voice.

[@jakealden2517]

Get the guy signing off the stage. There isn't one person in the audience who can't hear.

[@grayrachelle]

What is your problem? It's standard for inclusive public speaking events. There may have been an additional camera that recorded the signed interpretation for the Deaf community to access later. How do you begin to know there wasn't a person hard of hearing/ASL fluent in the audience?

[@jacquelinepeoples379]

Times have changed Junot Diaz, have a dirty mouth. I always enjoy Mrs. Morrison"s insights, but Mr. Diaz need to curb his cursing tongue during interviews. Why ? l am an old soul, it's not nice.