and toni morrison as an editor at random house. yeah a lot of people don't know so first that that page that you're looking at is the most popular page on the website. so the goal to you know you know provide information about upcoming which is you know pretty labor intensive and you know because i get a lot of that information from amazon actually so i'll hear a someone that's got a new book coming out and then i'll go to amazon and search for the book's metadata and then go to the publishers house, the publishers website and pull back. but yeah, a lot of people didn't know toni morrison wasn't an editor for many years. in fact, she edited, she was responsible for, exposing us to other great authors and in fact of them has a new book or a republication. eddie jones has a book coming out first tales and morrison spoke highly of many work that is work. but she edited some of some of really important black writers and so toni morrison's impact on publishing is profound and deep and she's really just an iconic and indeed i got to see

you know, when friend toni morrison said that that, i mean, if toni morrison said it is true.s about it was it was halfway serious and halfway making fun of me where all talked and kind of laughed around, but i took it as a great compliment. and one that i owed my ancestors because. i grew up in a white southern working family where my grandfather owned, a country store and all of his customers were black, just about. and he loved and they loved him. and. they couldn't afford food. and there no food stamps. there was no medicare. there was, no medicaid. if they were or actively looking for a job. he told to take whatever they needed because anybody was willing to work desert to feed their children and. he just wrote it down in a book and he said if you can come back and play me someday, do it. and. but it's amazing to coordinate talking about this on the way in because he read a story of my stopping on the way into. a town in ohio that had one of these famous barbershop like you've seen them all the barber shop shows on tv. what goes on the board was on their way. i was going

[laughter] [cheers and applause] >> you know, when my friend tony morrison said that. >> if tony morrison, it's true. >> when she said it, you know, it was about -- it was halfway serious and halfway making fun of me the way i talk and kind of around and took it as a great compliment and my ancestors, i grew up in a white, southern working class family where my grandfather owned a country store and all of his customers were black, just about. i mean, he loved them and they loved him and they couldn't afford food and there was no food stamps, there was no medicare, no medicaid. if they were working, or actively looking for a job, he told them to take whatever they needed because anybody that was willing to work deserved to feed their children and he just wrote it down in a book and he said if you can come back and pay me some day, do it. [applause] >> and it's amazing, korey and cory and i were talking about this on the way in, he read the story about my stopping on the way into a town in ohio that had one of these famous barber shops like you've seen all the barbershop shows on tv, what g

toni morrison once said about the bluest eye that past a certain point all she had was fidelity to her and i think that ultimately like since especially this is a book that is so much and so close to my own almost death i it naturally invites some more questions about what will this book look like to people when i am gone, the first line of my bio is julian randall, a living, queer black poet, and you'd be i'd be lying if i said i haven't thought about what is going to be the edit of that when that is no longer functionally true. but i know that because of that question it was harrowing to deal with but i also know that because of that question, i've come away with the book i wanted to write. i've come away with the book that says the things that i wanted to say. months have passed i barely regret, not including sopranos essay. it wasn't ready it wasn't. but yes, i think that like know you think about it in that sense of just like what am i fidelity to my own taste. how many of previous books that they are pulling this useful strategy and sales data from. i'm not it's not me take a cha

when my son said that, -- >> if tony morrison said it, it is true. >> you know, it was about -- onlyy serious and half way making fun of me, the way i talk. but, i took it as a great compliment. one that i owe to my ancestors, i grew up in a working class family, where my grandfather owned a country store and his customers were black. just about. he loved them, they loved him. and they couldn't afford food, there was no medicaid or food stamps if they were working or looking ar a job, he told them to take whatever they needed. anyone was willing to work toch feed their children, he wrote it in a book, he said if you can come back and pay me some i day, you can do it. [applause] that -- amazing, we were talking about this he read a story of my stopping on the way in to a town in ohio, that had one of these famous barber shops like you have seen on the barber shop shows on tv, what goes on. >> anyway, i was going down to visit one. and on the way in to town thereon was this black minister standing on the side of the road in a nice suit, a big reddish vest and a cross with big redstones

way to bring people together, regardless of how you feel about whether you should be teaching toni morrison or william shakespeare. if you come to school, we can actually read both. i hear what you are saying, but i do not think this is a partisan issue and i have never experienced it as a partisan issue. people disagree on some of the remedies. but, i don't think this is an issue in education where there needs to be any splintering. rebecca: that was beautiful. we can wrap up. thank you, everybody, for being here. thank you to our pinellas. -- our panelists. we will sign books after if anybody wants to come back.

toni morrison says you are the intellectual to james baldwin. what and boastfully yeah the real but it what kind of pressure does that put on you what kind of what kind of you know result comes from from that part of it. i i guess i don't really experience it as pressure you got go do the -- thing like you just say okay well this is what she told me to do. you know and so like this goes back to your question, right? of you know, doing all that and putting yourself through it. but somebody says that about you, you know, like like you got to feel it. like you got to really really this book. like, you know, i cannot have my now departed say sade as it me not do all that i can do to make that real you know, to make her look like a prophet. and i happily accept that i happily accept that i'm i'm glad it makes me feel good talking about being in south carolina with a ap english teacher named mary wood, who's defending between the world and me because it evidently offended some white kids who, you know, felt embarrassed about being caucasian or somethi

way to bring people together, regardless of how you feel about whether you should be teaching toni morrison or william shakespeare. if you come to school, we can actually read both. i hear what you are saying, but i do not think this is a partisan issue and i have never experienced it as a partisan issue. people disagree on some of the remedies. but, i don't think this is an issue in education where there needs to be any splintering. rebecca: that was beautiful. we can wrap up. thank you, everybody, for being here. thank you to our pinellas. -- our panelists. we will sign books after if anybody wants to come back. >> earlier today, family members of the late president jimmy carter gathered at washington national cathedral in d.c. for a funeral service with eulogies from president biden and others. all living former presidents were in attendance.