February 18th is Toni Morrison Day in Ohio . Join us in celebrating the life\, words\, and legacy of the iconic Toni Morrison with readings from local authors and artists Cynthia Amoah\, Dr. Carlotta Penn\, Claudia Owusu\, and Rachael "Rae" Scott. Readings will tak e place from 1:30-4:45 PM in the BPL Auditorium. Light refreshments and sn acks will be provided by the library.
\nReading Lineup:
\nAbout the Readers:
\nDr. Carlotta Penn \;is an educator\, author\, a nd daydreamer committed to advancing social justice\, especially as it rel ates to educational access\, experiences\, and outcomes. She makes the cas e that Black children must see their cultures reflected in books\, and tha t we must make more space for Black authors to write these stories. Despit e the ongoing resistance of major publishers to fully embrace Black childr en&rsquo\;s books by Black authors\, independent Black authors are filling the void. She is also the founder of Daydreamers Press\, \;a small\, Black woman-owned business with a focus on curating books\, media\, and re lated programming\, especially for children. \;It is her contribution to a world where all people can see representative and inspiring reflectio ns of themselves in books and communities. \;
\nClaudia Owusu \;is a Ghana girl through and through. As a writer and filmmaker\, her work divulges the nuance of Black girlhood through a perso nal and collective lens. \;Her writing is featured or is forthcoming i n Prairie Schooner\, \;The Offing Mag\, Chestnut Review\, Ninth Letter \, Bellingham Review\, and elsewhere. Her films have screened internationa lly at Aesthetica\, the New York African Film Festival\, Urbanworld\, and Blackstar Fest. She is the author of the chapbook\, \;In These Bon es I am Shifting \;from Akashic Books. She holds an MFA in Creati ve Nonfiction from The Ohio State University.
\nCynthia Amoa h is a Ghanaian-American poet\, national speaker\, and teaching a rtist. She received her MFA from The New School where she was cited for Ex cellence in Poetry and has been featured on three TEDx stages\, The Lincol n Theatre\, as well as the United Nations Information Center in Accra\, am ong many others. Her writing and performances often concern the foraging q uestions that have to do with identity and belonging\, with displacement\, migration and uprootedness. Cynthia&rsquo\;s chapbook Handrails \;was published by Akashic Books in Fall 2021. Cynthia Amoah was also the inaug ural Writer-in-Residence at the Bexley Public Library in 2025\, where she led community writing workshops\, open mic readings\, and connected aspiri ng writers to resources around Columbus.
\nRachael "Rae" Sco tt \;is a poet who has been writing poetry since she was a te enager. Scott has performed her poems at celebrated open mic events around Columbus\, like the Writers' Block Poetry Mic (RIP)\, the Rhapsody &\; Refrain series\, Harlem Renaissance Remix\, and other events at Streetlig ht Guild. She is a member of the From Spark to Fire writing cohort and is currently at work finishing her first collection of poems under the workin g title \;I Made My Plate First. \;
\ nIf you would like to receive an email reminder about this even t\, please register. Join us in person\, or live stream this program on&nb sp\;BPL's YouTube channel.
\nLibrary Parkin g &\; Entrance Information:
\nWhile the library's main e ntrance is under construction\, we remain open. Clear signage will guide v isitors to a temporary\, fully accessible entrance via a ramp in the south east alley\, leading to the dock entrance.
\nThe library \;parki ng \;lot also remains open\, with temporary entry and exit available v ia \;Euclaire Avenue only. \;Parking \;may be limited\, so we encourage you to arrive early and use street \;parking \;on Euclai re\, Mound\, and other nearby streets.
\nFor more information about the Outdoor Reading Room project\, visit \;www.BexleyLibrary.org/ORR.
\n\nhttps://bexley.libnet.info/event/15035512 URL;VALUE=URI:https://bexley.libnet.info/event/15035512 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/bexley/2026_Toni_Morrison_ Day_Communico.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR