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PASSAGES: On Morrison

PASSAGES: On Morrison

Namwali Serpell, Random House 4 episodes Latest May 28, 2026

PASSAGES: On Morrison is a podcast hosted by Namwali Serpell, a novelist, critic, and Harvard professor. The show takes reading on the road, as Serpell joins fellow writers and skilled readers in conversation to pore over excerpts of Toni Morrison's prose. Recorded on book tour for her book ON MORRISON, each episode welcomes listeners into rooms full of readers and discussions of how Morrison made her words sing. The podcast is a celebration of Morrison's extraordinary work and a love letter to reading closely in community.

Episodes

5. Calling on BELOVED with Vinson Cunningham Jun 11, 2026 28:33 BELOVED is a holy space made of words. Across the street from Washington Square Park, in New York City's historic Judson Memorial Church, Namwali Serpell, writer Vinson Cunningham, and our live audience invoke the hauntings of Morrison's most celebrated novel. Reading from BELOVED's final, stunning page, Namwali and Vinson trace how Morrison imbues meaning on the level of syntax and crafts her wor
4. Seeking PARADISE with Kortney Morrow Jun 4, 2026 27:30 Toni Morrison didn't want a monument or statue erected in her honor; she wanted a dedicated reading room in her hometown public library, a space that could allow for change and continuous engagement with her work. In this episode, Namwali Serpell visits the Toni Morrison Reading Room in the Lorain Public Library, before heading to a tour event at the CityClub Cleveland to open up a passage from Mo
3. Playing in SULA with Dionne Custer Edwards May 28, 2026 28:13 Continuing our tour of Ohio, Namwali joins writer and educator Dionne Custer Edwards to discuss ON MORRISON at the Bexley Public Library. They read and open up a passage of Morrison's SULA, a brimming scene of friendship and play between the two central characters, Sula and Nel. Dionne and Namwali explore the innocence of the girls' mirrored play with twigs and grass, but also the undertones of ma
2. Flying into SONG OF SOLOMON with Hanif Abdurraqib May 21, 2026 31:18 For the launch of Ohio's year-long, state-wide celebration of Toni Morrison, Namwali Serpell flies to Columbus to talk with poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib. With the help of the audience, they read the ending of Morrison's SONG OF SOLOMON and then open up the scene's quiet violence and ambiguous action. The passage leads them to discuss the challenges of adapting Morrison's novels for film, the
1. Opening THE BLUEST EYE with Tracy K. Smith May 21, 2026 28:40 Namwali Serpell kicks off the tour for her new book ON MORRISON at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, MA, in conversation with poet Tracy K. Smith. Together, they read the opening of THE BLUEST EYE, Toni Morrison's debut novel, and discuss all that the passage emits and erases. They also explore how the cultural treatment of Morrison as a literary icon or monument has obscured a true appreciat
Trailer | PASSAGES: On Morrison May 4, 2026 02:55 PASSAGES: On Morrison is a podcast that takes reading on the road. At each stop on our tour, Namwali Serpell and fellow writers open up a different passage of Toni Morrison's prose, in front of a live audience.  You can purchase the book ON MORRISON by Namwali Serpell through https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/752344/on-morrison-by-namwali-serpell/.  This podcast is a production of the Rand

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