Toni MorrisonUsing a portion of author MacKenzie Scott’s $50 million donation in December, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) announced plans to establish the Toni Morrison Writing program on campus.
Morrison, author of several novels including Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye and Sula, was also Scott’s former professor at Princeton University.
As part of the program, run by PVAMU provost emerita Dr. Emma Joahanne Thomas-Smith, a writer is selected to participate in a one-year residency appointment to teach a writing seminar. The writer-in-residence will also host readings of Morrison’s work as well as others who highlight the impact of African American writers, the school reported.
Additionally, high school students will have the opportunity to participate in a writing contest to compete for a college scholarship.
“Faculty and staff of both the university and area high schools will share in the activities of the program and benefit from the writer-in-residence and other artists representing the full range of literary genres,” Thomas-Smith said in a statement.
