ONLINE DISCUSSION April 8th, 2026: "Recitatif", by Toni Morrison 

AVAILABLE TO READ THROUGH PSU's LIBBY SUBSCRIPTION IN AUDIOBOOK FORM AND AS AN EBOOK. 

Register to Receive Zoom Link the Week of Event. Please add to your own calendar. 

Description (from Wikipedia):  

"Recitatif" is Toni Morrison's first published short story. It was initially published in 1983 in Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women, an anthology edited by Amiri Baraka and Amina Baraka, and is the only short story written by the acclaimed novelist. The story was reissued as a stand-alone book, introduced by Zadie Smith, published in February 2022. 

"Recitatif" is a story in racial writing, as the race of Twyla and Roberta are debatable. Though the characters are clearly separated by class, neither is affirmed as African-American or White. Morrison has described the story as "the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial".