MahoganyBooks and the DC Public Library in partnership with the DC Public Library Foundation are excited to host professor and author Dana A. Willaims for an inspiring conversation celebrating the release of her groundbreaking book, Toni At Random! For all of our Toni lovers, this book is a deeper look at one of our beloved authors and was requested to by THE Toni Morrison herself to be written by Dana.Don’t miss this chance to engage with a closer analysis of the iconic writer.
A big thank you to our partners and co-hosts at the DC Public Library and the DC Public Library Foundation for your generous support of this event.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Toni At Random
A multifaceted genius, Toni Morrison transcended her role as an author, helping to shape an important period in American publishing and literature as an editor at one of the nation’s most prestigious publishing houses. While Toni Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her editorial work is little known. Drawing on extensive research and firsthand accounts, this comprehensive study discusses Morrison's remarkable journey from her early days at Random House to her emergence as one of its most important editors. During her tenure in editorial, Morrison refashioned the literary landscape, working with important authors, including Toni Cade Bambara, Leon Forrest, and Lucille Clifton, and empowering cultural icons such as Angela Davis and Muhammad Ali to tell their stories on their own terms.
Toni Morrison herself requested that Dana Williams be the one to tell this story, even giving her the book’s title. From the manuscripts she molded, the authors she nurtured, and the readers she inspired, Toni at Random demonstrates how Toni Morrison has influenced American culture beyond the individual titles or authors she published. Morrison’s contribution as an editor transformed the broader literary landscape and deepened the cultural conversation. With unparalleled insight and sensitivity, Toni at Random charts this editorial odyssey.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dana A. Williams is Professor of African American literature and Dean of the Graduate School at Howard University. She is former president of the College Language Association and the Modern Languages Association, and is the author of In the Light of Likeness—Transformed: The Literary Art of Leon Forrest. She is also the editor of several books. Her work has been published in prestigious journals, including PMLA, CLA Journal, African American Review, Early American Literature, American Literary History, and the Langston Hughes Review. Her research has been supported by the Ford Foundation, the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She co-directs the Center for Medical Humanities and Health Justice, a Mellon Foundation-funded collaboration between Howard and Georgetown universities. Williams lives in Maryland.
- 6:30 PM - Doors Open | 7 PM Conversation Begins
- Event guidelines are subject to change.
- Non-refundable but tickets can be transferred.
- Only books purchased at MahoganyBooks will be signed.
- For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.
- Parking is limited. Ridesharing highly encouraged.
- Masks optional.
- Photographs may be taken during the event WITHOUT FLASH.
- Please note, books not picked up at the event can be retrieved at our National Harbor location for two weeks after event day. Afterwhich, they will be donated to a local organization.
- Please tag us and use #mahoganybooks, #blackbooksmatter #toniatrandom on social media.
-- Let's have an amazing evening,
The MahoganyBooks Team
