![Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize-winning American author, editor, and professor photographed in May 2009 in Paris, France. [Olga Besnard/Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/493ccad/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F8%2F06%2FToniMorrison_shutterstock800.jpg)
The world of literature lost a major figure with the passing of Toni Morrison Monday at age 88.
Northeast Ohio cultural organizations and writers paid tribute to the late author upon the news of her passing.
鈥淭he function of freedom is to free someone else.鈥�
— Karamu House (@KaramuHouseInc)
Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison, best known for her renowned novel "Beloved," has passed away at 88.
Thank you Toni Morrison for your legacy of love, passion and storytelling.
Rest in Power.
'Twas Toni Morrison (along with Steinbeck & others) who taught me that all good writers must be political. That art and politics are not only not mutually exclusive but they are in fact the same thing. To create is a political act. To remain silent is a political act.
— Thrity Umrigar (@ThrityUmrigar)
We join both our local community and readers worldwide in mourning the passing of the esteemed author, trailblazer and Lorain native Toni Morrison. She was 88.
— Lorain Public Library System (@LorainPLSystem)
The Lorain native won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her novel 鈥淏eloved,鈥� one of several acclaimed works about the black experience in America.
In 1993, Morrison became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize.
An elementary school is named in her honor in her hometown.
"It is inspirational leaders like Ms. Morrison that make us who we are and motivate us to continue to work hard to become our best selves for the sake of the young people we serve," said Lorain City Schools CEO David Hardy Jr. in an emailed statement.
When she spoke to ideastream鈥檚 Dee Perry in 2009, she talked about how family stories from her childhood influenced her work.
鈥淭hey were beautifully told, but they were often violent. They weren鈥檛 redemptive,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淎 lot of stories that were told among adults and two children were warnings, warning stories, something that you could learn to keep you safe.鈥�
