I had a brilliant idea the other day. "Wouldn't it be great, for Women's History Month, to talk about all the famous Ohio women?" I said to myself. There are so many! And then of course, I looked it up, and it turns out that Women's History Month isn't until March, and I felt silly. And then I didn't! Why not celebrate brilliant Ohio women all year-round? (And all other women, of course. Unite!) And I lucked out, because it turns out that one very famous Ohio women has a very famous date to commemorate in October.

That's right - I'm talking about Toni Morrison.

I love Toni Morrison, even though she's a strong black woman with history and power and amazing talent and very long hair, and I am just the epitome of puny white girl. I especially love Song of Solomon; I have written several papers about it and thought about it quite a bit. I have in fact even met Toni Morrison, oddly enough, when we were both in England. And if you want to talk about odd coincidences, try running into a world-famous author when she's giving a talk at the school that you're studying abroad in, and have her mention her Shaker Heights, Ohio background to a room full of British people who don't understand! It was awesome. I mentioned it when I got my book signed (a really sweet version of Song of Solomon), and we had a nice little moment about Ohio, Baldwin-Wallace College and Lorain. It was really amazing. She is the most down-to-earth and classy woman ever. With hair that I would love to have, but that's beside the point.

In October 1993, Toni Morrison received the Nobel Prize for literature. She deserves it, and a couple more, if anybody has any lying around. She was the first African-American to receive it, and also the first African-American woman. Pick up a book, if you have the time. (I recommend the Song of Solomon, and would be more than happy to chat with you about it!)