what could we do for toni morrison? we decided we were gonna have all of the writers, we were gonna invite all of the writers to come and read their favorite toni morrison. and it was gonna be, of course, at maya's home. and it was gonna be, of course, at maya's home. and then she called me. when i heard her, it was like, "nikki, can you come down?" it was like, bingo. 'cause i knew that she needed something. and she said, "i can't have it." well, maya's gonna die a couple of months later. she knew that; i didn't. but i just said, "maya, yes, whatever it is. "virginia tech is happy to have it." and we did. toni morrison said and i'll always be incredibly pleased with that as we had this with that as we had this for her. and she got on stage, she said, "if nothing happens in my public life ever again, "this does it for me." - this is it, yeah. - and you're never gonna have maya and me and toni on stage again. on stage again. and i just loved it. and i had it for free which always makes people crazy. because, personally y

tony morrison, one of the great morrison, one of the great books in american literature.rian: what are the couple of books that did not make the cut? tom: one novelist i have been reading lately and like is david ignatius. he has written on the cia. i am a fan of what he does. they are thrillers. but he is a serious reporter and he knows washington inside and out. his books are a nice sequel to norman mailer's book about the cia. that would be one example. i have done a project on colorado writers. there are some delightful colorado writers. james michener, centennial, sweeping book about the early founding. dalton trumbo, famous from hollywood, wrote a book about his home town of grand junction, colorado. brian: here is johnny depp in "fear and loathing in las vegas." about 47 seconds. [video clip] >> the fatal flaw for tim leary. he crashed around america touting consciousness expanding without ever giving a thought of the realities for all the people who took him seriously. all those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy peace and understanding for

brian: what was "beloved" by toni morrison about? tom: a woman who escaped from a plantation in kentucky, over the ohio river, and into incinnati. he fugitive slave act was in force, so plantation owners could come after her, and the fugitive slave act allowed local authorities, ordered local authorities to help ecapture slaves. she was so appalled at the slavery existence she and her whole family had had that she starts killing her children in a matricidal way, figuring that would be better than slavery. but the book, it won the nobel prize, and many of her books deserved to be in my collection. i picked out "beloved" because it perhaps is the best-known. it is really a book about what we need to remember, and her book is urging african-americans and everyone to remember the tragedies and inhumanities of sleighry. brian: here she is in 2001 talking about the story that ed to "beloved." [video clip] toni: the story i had read a newspaper article about, about a woman who said, no, i am not doing that. this child is mine. her life is m

threatening the minds of the nation's news their books like the color purple by alice walker beloved by toni morrison the autobiography of malcolm x. and i no way that caged bird sings by maya angelou classics by some of the greatest american authors ever yet begun and in many modern public schools for fear it will offend or confuse parents and students as someone rushed the one said what is freedom of expression without the freedom to offend it ceases to exist to help us understand this a little deeper is all for a professor do you walk in to the welcome place you guys don't get a good good you almost certainly ask you what what is deep what can you know what what are your favorite bad books what's your list so watching say what you know what your top three top five but books that they should go out every so it would definitely be the autobiography of malcolm x. i think it's such an important book as educator you can give your kids this book showing this amazing journey show them to many different transformations he went through. and you compare it with a movie so as a reward for so that would defin

[cheering] so i'm here today to honor the words of toni morrison.read but it hasn't been written yet, it must be the one you must be the one to write it. i urge everyone who hears my voice to join me in telling the stories that report told, to honor the girls, the women of color who were murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. i urge each of you to help me write the narrative for this world and understand so these girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. [cheering] >> look, it's really hard to get your driver's license, adopt a pet or get a credit card. but if you're 18 and you want to buy an ar-15 in too many states, that's no problem. you go to a gun show in about 32 states and you can have one in about one hour. we can't even buy a beer until we're 21. that makes no sense. these semi-automatic weapons were designed for war, not to hunt or shoot clays. they're not cool toys. they're designed to kill people. 11 mass shootings were committed by men 21 and under. many used handguns with huge rounds of ammo and two used an ar-15. by

[cheers] we're here today to honor the words of toni morrison.here is a book that you want to read but it has not been written yet, you must be the one to write it. [cheers] iron ridge everyone here and everyone who hears my voice to join me in telling the stories that are not tolold. to honor the girls, the women of color who were murdered at this portion it rate of this nation -- disproportionate rates of this nation. buyer to each of you to help me write the narrative for this world and understand to these girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. >> i'm here with her brave youth leaders and here to speak on behalf of chicago's youth are surrounded and affected by gun violence every day. i'm here to speak for those youth who fear they may be shot log on to the gas station, the movies, the bus stop, to charge, or even to and from school. i'm here to speak for the chicago youth who feel their voices have been silenced for far too long. i had to speak on behalf of everyone that believes a child getting shot and killed in chicago or any othe

we too have the right to vote. [ cheers and applause ] so i'm here today to honor the words of toni morrisonasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it. i urge everyone here and everyone who hears my voice to join me in telling the stories that aren't told. to honor the girls, the women of color, who were murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. i urge each of you to help me write the narrative for this world and understand so that these girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> just for emphasis, that was an 11-year-old addressing not only this crowd but the global television audience watching this. as they play a film onstage, we are joined by two very special guests. arianna williams is here with us from chicago, illinois. and arnie duncan is here with us from chicago, illinois. the latter, former education secretary under barack obama. the former, having lost her father and two uncles to gun violence. arianna, thank you for talking to us. this is personal for you. tell us the message you bring from chicago. >> the message that i brin

so i'm here today to honor the words of on toni morrison., you must be the one to write it. i urge everyone here and everyone who hears my voice to join me in telling the stories that aren't told. to honor the girls, the women of color who were murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. i urge each of you to help me write the narrative for this world and understand so that these girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> that was an 11-year-old elementary student, naomi wadler, and she talked about what gun violence has done in her mind and in her community and she reminded everyone she too will be voting at some point in the future. we're here in washington, d.c. at the march for our lives. we'll have many more speakers and guests coming up. we'll be right back. we just got married. we're all under one roof now. congratulations. thank you. how many kids? my two. his three. along with two dogs and jake, our new parrot. that is quite the family. quite a lot of colleges to pay for though. a lot of colleg

among the extraordinary winners are toni morrison photography, so just the last few years we have awarded prizes to extraordinary books using one -- including carol anderson dreamland and nbcc has grown to include members across the country more than 200 voting members and friends of the nbcc also the john d prize with the best first book in any genre and for the excellency in reviewing and the nbcc member and a lifetime achievement award for individuals or institutions who made an extraordinary contribution so including the various activities and events and the sponsors throughout the year it has grown far beyond what the founders might have imagined in 1974. last year the nbcc launched the emerging critics program to identify nurture and support development of a new generation of critics over the course of the year we engaged our fellows an ongoing conversation about the craft and ethics of book reviewing and the changes of the publishing landscape. these critics knew the end of their fellowship. we are delighted to have two of them here tonight. let's give them a round of applause. [ap

of short stories, didn't know what they were but i read a lot for the year of magical thinking, toni morrison and a turn of short stories, david means, i could go on and on but so many great writers. but you take the ones that speak to you and there are some amazing writers i enjoy reading but nothing irate and they don't give me ideas how to write and there are some writers that do and that is the beauty of having control over how you learn. >> back to your childhood, what were you reading them? >> i read a lot of religious books but we had other books but it didn't read a lot of them. i read the coram, the bible and a lot of 19th-century speeches by the founding mormon prophets. that was the language i was at home with pretty quickly. >> you went to school for the first time in fy you, you wrote in this stilted archaic style. >> i wrote in a stilted style because that was what i had been reading and a lot of my professors were bewildered why i sounded like a 19th-century -- >> took a while to get that voice out. >> isn't it amazing that writing voice is so different than the talking voice?

>> toni morrison has been one of my most inspirational riders. and writing one -- i'm reading mr.d's book now the underground railroad. and to enjoy every bit of it. i enjoyed seeing you on tv today. thank you. >> i am a nurse i work at the hospital here. >> i hope the end of the book is not disappointing. there are so many different folks raymond carver and then early influences and with the blackk shining and you put the black in front of it and samuel beckett or a science fiction writer so my early love for genre or storytelling is a fantasy you use here and not there. >>host: what does magical realism mean? >> to me? i feel -- the real and the fake so garcia marquez and and the grandmother would tell stories for kelly's growing up with fantastic detail than the share sprouted wings and flew away. and never knew what was real or not. but to be in the world that is a recognizable. and working on this book the underground railroad it was more science fiction or very different in terms of time and went back to under years of solitude and instead to have a spinal tap at 11 then may

i read a lot of toni morrison because she's a genius. and then at ten of short stories.david means, just, i could go on and on but they're so many great writers but i think you take the ones that speak to you and there's some amazing writers but they are nothing like i write. they don't give me you ideas at how to write here there are some writers that do anything that's the beauty of having control over how you learn. >> host: back to your childhood. what were you reading then? >> guest: i read a lot of religious books. we had other books and house but we did was we did. most of what i read, i read the book of mormon and read the bible and a red-hot 19th century speeches by the kind of founding mormon prophets. that was a language i was at home in pretty quickly, interesting when you went to school for the first time at byu, he wrote in this archaic style, correct? >> guest: i did. i wrote in a very -- that was what i been reading and i think a lot of my professors which is very bewildered by why i sounded like a 19th century, like -- yet. it took the kind of get that v

have seven short years until we, too, have the vote.to so i'm here today to honor the words of tony morrisonn't been yet, it must be the one to write it. i urge everyone who hears my me in telling the stories that report told, to honor the girls, the women of color who were murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. you to help me write the narrative for this so these understand girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. >> look, it's really hard to get your driver's license, adopt a pet or get a credit card. 18 and you want to buy an ar-15 in too many states, that's no problem. to a gun show in about 32 states and you can have one in about one hour. beer untilen buy a we're 21. that makes no sense. these semi-automatic weapons were designed for war, not to or shoot plays. clays. they're not cool toys. people.designed to kill 11 mass shootings were committed by men 21 and under. used handguns with huge rounds of ammo and two used an ar-15. by raising the buying age to 21, saved those lives. enough is enough. it is time for change. again. maya and i'm 16 years old and i'm in a cr

i'm here today are the words of toni morrison. must be the one to write it. [cheers] i urge everyone here and everyone whoho hears my voice to join me in telling the stotories that aren't told. to honor the girls, the women of color who were murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. i urge you to help me write e te narrative for this world and understand so that these girls and women are never forgotten. thank you. [cheers] >> loo it's really hard to get your drivers license, and often had come over get a creditit c , but ifif you' 18 years s old and yoyou want to gogo out and buy n ar-15 in 2 20 statetes, that's o problem. go to a a gun show in about 32 stes and you can have wanted about one e hour. we can't even buy a beer ununtil we arere 21 years old, that maks nono sense these semi-automatic weapons were desigigned for war, not to hunt or shoot clay.y. they aren't cool toys, thehey ae desisigned to kill people. 11 mass shootings were committed by men 2 21 and under.r. many used handguns with huge u used anf ammo and