Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

An artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the legendary storyteller and Nobel prize-winner. From her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio, to ʼ70s-era book tours with Muhammad Ali, from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room — Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature. Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, Morrison reflects on her lifelong deconstruction of the master narrative. Woven together with a rich collection of art, history, literature and personality, the film includes discussions about her many critically acclaimed works, including novels “The Bluest Eye,” “Sula” and “Song of Solomon,” her role as an editor of iconic African-American literature and her time teaching at Princeton University. Featuring interviews with Hilton Als, Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, Walter Mosley, Sonia Sanchez and Oprah Winfrey, who turned Morrison’s novel “Beloved” into a feature film.

Pre-registration for the screening is required. Registrants will receive a link to watch the film for free on May 14th.

A live Q&A with poet, educator and community activist Glenn North will be held on Friday, May 15th at 6pm. A private link for the discussion will be sent to all registrants.

Presented with Park City Museum.

Speaker Bio:

Glenn North is the Executive Director Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center. He is also the author of City of Song, a collection of poems inspired by Kansas City’s rich jazz tradition and the triumphs and tragedies of the African American experience. He is a Cave Canem fellow, a Callaloo creative writing fellow and a recipient of the Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Award and the Crystal Field Poetry Award. His work has appeared in Kansas City Voices, One Shot Deal, The Sixth Surface, Caper Literary Journal, Platte Valley Review, Kansas City Voices, KC Studio, Cave Canem Anthology XII, The African American Review, and American Studies Journal, and The Langston Hughes Review. He collaborated with legendary jazz musician, Bobby Watson, on the critically acclaimed recording project, Check Cashing Day and is currently filling his appointment as the Poet Laureate of the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District.

Mr. North serves up social commentary with a side of comic relief. As a poet and spoken word artist, he uses humor to unify audiences, shedding light on everything from economics and racial inequality to what to do when you run out of baby formula and Pampers. Through his work he challenges people to be change agents in their communities. Additionally he was the former Director of Education and Community at the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, Missouri where he curated their educational programming for the exhibit “For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights” in 2018.

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