Namwali Serpell, author of “On Morrison.” 
Harvard Bookstore is preparing to host local author Namwali Serpell for a discussion of her new book, “On Morrison,” a collection of essays about the work of the acclaimed late author Toni Morrison. Serpell will be joined in the conversation by Harvard professor Tracy K. Smith.
Serpell teaches English at Harvard University. That experience was a major source of inspiration for the book.
“As I taught the class, it was an opportunity for me to read and reread her books. I often teach classes that I wish I could take. I sort of am a permanent student in that way,” she said.
As Serpell began reading and rereading all of Morrison’s works, she found herself talking to her then fiancé, now husband, about her ideas and frustrations with how Morrison is read and interpreted.
“At some point, he turned to me and he said, ‘You know, you should really write a book based on everything that you’re talking to [me] and to the students about,’” she said.
Serpell also discussed why she feels it is important to publish this book, especially in the current social and political climate where Black authors and histories are being banned.
“All of the specific issues…raised, the banning of books, the silencing of voices, the particular focus on what we should or shouldn’t say about Black history [and] about the history of slavery, these were all issues for Morrison as well,” she said. “This is an ongoing onslaught of suppression and repression. And so, in some ways, she gives us a path for thinking about a continual, American crisis when it comes to writing about, really thinking about, and really celebrating the presence of Black people in this country.”
She shared what she hopes readers will take away from reading her book about Morrison, especially for those who have not read Morrison’s works.
“My goal is really to clear away a lot of the reputation, discourse or even misconceptions that we still have about Toni Morrison as a name, because I think a lot of the ways that we have turned her into a kind of monument… has distracted us from actually looking at the work itself,” she said.
The discussion will be held Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. at First Parish Church, 3 Church St. in Cambridge. The doors open at 5:15 p.m. Serpell shared the themes she hopes to cover in her talk and why community members should attend.
“We’re going to spend the first part of each event with me reading a passage from a Toni Morrison novel; in this case, we’ll be reading from the opening of the ‘Bluest Eye.’ And then, I’m going to be in conversation with [Smith] about that passage and we’re going to read it very closely as a way of opening up,” she said. “I’m hoping [this opening] will give the audience a taste of what it’s like to read the book.”
Community members can RSVP for free to this event or choose the “Book-Included” ticket to reserve a copy of “On Morrison” for $34 and pick it up at the event. Serpell will be signing copies of her book after the discussion.
ON THE WEB
Learn more at harvard.com/event/namwali-serpell26