it's based on the lecture series by tony morrison. good to have you on the program. >> thank you for having me again. tavis: i'm glad to have you back again. i know something of course of this lecture series because it's so renowned at princeton and it's an honor to be asked to be the tony morrison lecturer at this series. so tell me how you went about deciding what your series of lectures were going to be about for the tony morrison lectures. >> well, first of all it was an extraordinary honor and for a year, the year think a knew i was going to do it, i was terrified. because i was bookended between the cornell west and mayor buicker of newark. they had done the lecture. but i went over many things think a wanted to talk about and one of the things that intrigued me was creation, that art of creativity. and writers that i loved in haiti who had dangerously in very difficult times. tell me about this title which i love. one of the last lectures he gave in 1957, the great french algerian writer, he talks about art and he says that art

angela davis is joined in conversation by nobel and pulitzer prize winner toni morrison in new york city. the program is just under two hours. >> good evening. >> good evening. >> hi toni. >> hi angela. [laughter] i am sorry about that entrance. i wasn't doing it for theatrics but i do have a brand-new spanking new -- i love it, i love it, love it but the rest of the body has not caught up yet. so, we go slow. nobody is moderating us. >> we are just talking. we are talking about douglass, libraries, literacy and liberation. yes. absolutely. let me start with literacy, because i have this document here that i want other people to know about. we will read it. i am interested obviously in literacy. i am impressed with what i've only recently discovered, which is that this country is unique in the world in terms of the distribution of libraries throughout the country. you cannot go in broommack areas in europe or in africa or in asia, in broommack areas and find libraries the way you can hear. every little town. not to speak of the huge university libraries that just jump up out of nowhere i

angela davis is joined in conversation by nobel and pulitzer prize-winning author toni morrison at the new york public library in new york city. the program is just under two hours. >> the >> evening. >> hi angela. [laughter] i'm sorry about that entrance to but i wasn't doing it for theatrics but i do have a brand new spanking hip. [laughter] i love it, i love it, i love it. but the rest of the body hasn't caught up yet. [laughter] so nobody's moderating? >> we are just talking. we are talking about douglas, libraries, literacy and liberation and when yes, absolutely. let me start with literacy because i have to stop what on the davis i want other people to know about will read it. and obviously interested in literacy. i am impressed with -- well, if only recently discovered that this country is unique in the world in terms of the distribution of libraries throughout the country to read you cannot go in rural areas in europe or in africa or asia, rural areas and find libraries the way you can hear and middletown's, not to speak of the huge university libraries that just jump out of no

. >> can i just say something many people don't acknowledge how important toni morrison was to the emergence of what we now call a black feminist literature. >> that's true. [applause] and i mean, i say this to my students, i don't know whether i have ever said it to you, but i remember when she was a publishing, right? [applause] and gail jones. so what we know as black women's writing that took shape in the 70's and 80's would not have been possible, would not toni morrison insisted as an editor at random house, publishing these works. [applause] she published paula gooding's first book. >> angela's first one. >> she didn't realize it was really a historical. >> in the case there is a hiatus i was right in between myself. and then it like that at all. they didn't hire me to write books, the hundred me to edit them but what can i say. >> sorry. i interrupted you. >> no, you are exactly right. [laughter] speculative, literature, fiction, sci-fi. how does it relate to the third world women and the movement through literature has a student in anthropology always rooted into what is real? but i

many people don't acknowledge how important toni morrison was to the emergence of what we now call a black feminist literature. of bosco. >> that is true. i mean, i say this to my students. i don't know whether i've ever said it to you, but i remember when she was publishing, right? and gail jones. [applause] so what we know as that black women's writing that took shape in the 70s and 80s would not have been possible had not toni morrison insisted as an editor at random house on publishing these works. [applause] and you published public giddings. and you published paula getting' first book. >> paula getting's first book. >> my first book. [laughter] >> she didn't realize that she was doing this really historical historical. >> in this case there was a hiatus. i was writing in between, you know. they didn't like that at all. they didn't hire me to write books. they hired me to edit them but what can i say? >> sorry, i interrupted you. >> no, you are exactly where i wanted you. [laughter] speculative literature, fiction, sci-fi. how does it relate to the third world, women and the mov

i had to interview toni morrison and give her an award. everyone was there to see her get her 8 millionth award. i said since you're here, when tony morrison said life is a book you want to read, she did not mean everyone's. all right? >> that's one of your more profound things right there, the notion that art should not be about popularity, number one, where everyone has the same vote with respect to what is good and bad. >> and everyone shouldn't make it, i mean, make art. what i was saying is that, you know, we're -- where democracy is important is in society. everyone should participate in the society, not just voting. you you have to do more than that. no one does that. everyone leaves that, as if there are experts for that. there aren't experts for that. that's what democracy means, ok? but in the culture, there are experts. they're called artists. they should be the people who make the art. >> including writers and -- >> he why. any kind of artist. >> religion? >> yes. >> you're religious? >> i am an atheist. i have always been one.

because with your success, the success of tony morrison many years ago, you really opened the eyes toshers that there is an audience out there for that type of literature. but is it still difficult for young writers starting out -- starting out in this field, for young african-american writers? >> yes, it is difficult. and in lieu of the economy, e books, there are a lot of things that publishers don't take into account when it comes -- it's a lot more difficult now for young writers to be accepted, to be read, to be respected. but i think there are a lot of writers that anticipate becoming a best seller. so the yard stick that they set for themselves is very, very high. and its unfortunate because most writers can't make a living from it. i wasn't able to until my third book and even that was a shock to me. i never expected to make a living as a writer. but the publishing industry, in except banks, are going through problems. >> i think you are hear for earmarks. i want to ask you about the latest book, getting to happy. from what i've read, and correct me if i'm wrong, you originall

toni morrison is a product of her great migration. her parents emigrated from alabama to ohio where she got anything any budding writer was to go into a public library and take out a book. she wouldn't be able to do that and her parents saw that and they migrated to ohio where she had the opportunity to get exposed to that. august wilson, lorraine hans alito berry and richard wright and some of the huge names in literature are all products of this great migration. and motown wouldn't have happened and barry gordy migrated to detroit and he decided he wanted to go into the music industry. he didn't have the money to go out scouting for talent and so what he did he just looked around him and there was diana ross, she was a child of the migration. her parents had migrated from alabama. alabama was a great source of huge talent. [laughter] >> and she was -- she was there. and so were mary wilson and florence ballard. all were children of the great migration. aretha franklin was also -- her parents came up from the south. so many people cr

tony morrison is a product of this great migration. her parents migrated from alabama to ohio where she got the chance to do something that any budding writer would absolutely have to be able to do but she would not have been able to do in alabama which is to go to a public library and take out a book. her parents saw that and they migrated to ohio where she have the opportunity to get exposed to that. august wilson, lorraine hansberry, richard wright and some of the huge names in literature are products of the great migration and in music motown would not have existed and that is because barry gordy, his parents migrated from georgia to detroit where once he became a grown man he decided he wanted to go into the music industry. he didn't have the money to go out scouting for talent so he looked around him and there was diana ross who was a child of the migration. her parents migrated from alabama. >> alabama was a great source of talent. >> mary wilson and florence ballard, all children of the great migration, rita franklin. her paren

tony morrison is a product of the great migration. her parents migrated from alabama to ohio where she got to the chance to do something in the budding writer would have to do but she wouldn't have been able to do and alabama is going to a public library and take out a book. her parents saw that and migrated to oeo where she had the opportunity to get exposed to that. richard wright and some of the huge names in literature are products of great migration and in motown wouldn't even exist if there was no great migration and that is because very doherty his parents migrated from georgia to detroit where once he became a grown man he decided he wanted to go into the music industry and it didn't have the money to go out scouting for talent so he looked around him and there was diana ross a child of migration. her parents migrated from alabama a great source of talent. [laughter] and she was there and so was mary willson and florence, all were children of great migration. aretha franklin also came up from the south, so many people created

toni morrison is a product of this great vacation. her parents migrated from alabama to ohio where she got the chance to do something for any budding writer would absolutely have to deal to do, but she would not have been able to do in alabama, which is going to a public library and pick out above. she would have been able to do that. her parents saw that in the migrated to ohio where she had the opportunity to get exposed to that. august wilson, lorraine some of the huge names in literature are all products of the great migration. and in music, and what makes it if there were great negation. berry gordy come as parents might be from georgia to detroit where once he became a grown man he decided he wanted to go into the music industry. he didn't have the money to go scout for talent. what he did was looked around him. and there was diana's ross. it was a great source of huge talent. and so are mary wilson and florence ballard. all of them were children of the great migration. aretha franklin will also her parents came up from the sout

lecture and tony morrison sits in the front row when you give the lecture. no pressure. [laughter] and so, i nearly had an ulcer. my husband is here and he had a witness to this, trying to think of something worthwhile to say with tony morrison in the audience. and i had always loved and worshiped and red other and especially as i was trying to understand my position, just you know as a little girl who wanted to be a writer and actually, it gets to have that happen in my life and what you do with that in terms of the work that you want to do creatively but also the work that you want to do in the world. camille was open to that position. the artist in his time, someone had created dangerously. someone had created that title and i just snatched it. i just loved it so much, so i wrote this book, as a way of honoring, just as we say, artists and others who created dangerously, artists like the woman writer who was the guiding spirit for me. in her book, her seminal novel was about to be published in france, and someone got ahold of it in haiti and her family ha

morrison. ♪ just one small fraction of the main attraction ♪ >> reporter: this season's must-have is the six-pack. >> this is the before. >> reporter: 300 situps a day isn't tony'ssix-pack glory. spray tanning is his secret weapon. >> i'm going to just contrast a little extra. >> reporter: melanie mills is an expert body finisher. >> you know his abs versus another -- >> the shirt comes off and i know exactly what to do. >> reporter: the six-pack fairy finishes up her ab-magic on tony with some contouring makeup. >> then, we take a cream cosmetic like this and really kind of almost draw and then buff it out. >> and this isn't cheating. >> reporter: this is not cheating. how is this -- think about it this way. is makeup for you cheating? every woman wears makeup. is that cheating? >> reporter: enhancing. >> enhancing. that's a better word to use. >> reporter: for $35, the average guy can now buy abs in a box. assuming he knows how to paint them on. seems like something that a woman would do, not necessarily something you would expect from a guy. >> well -- men are just as vain as we are. they really are. >> reporter: that vanity is driving sales of products like

morrison. ♪ >> reporter: this season's must have is the six-pack. >> this is the before. >> reporter: 300 sit-ups a day isn't tony'sy method to six-pack glory. spray tanning us his secret weapon. >> i'm going to come in here and contour a little bit extra. >> reporter: melanie mills is an expert body finisher to the "dancing" cast. you know his abs versus another dancer's abs. >> i have to study it. the shirt comes off and i know exactly what to do. >> are the six-pack fairy finishes up her ab magic with contouring makeup. >> then we'll take like a cream cosmetic like this and really kind of almost draw. and then buff it out. >> and this isn't cheating? >> this is definitely not cheating. how is it -- i mean, think about it this way. is makeup for you cheating? every woman wears makeup. is that cheating? >> enhancing. >> enhancing, that's a better word to use. >> reporter: for $35, the average guy can now buy abs in a box. assuming he knows how to paint them on. >> men are just as vain as we are. they really are. >> reporter: that vanity is driving sales of products like the lab series ab rescue body sculpting gel,