{"id":15812,"date":"2025-07-17T12:58:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T12:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=15812"},"modified":"2025-07-17T12:58:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T12:58:37","slug":"dana-a-williams-what-toni-morrison-can-teach-about-editing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/07\/17\/dana-a-williams-what-toni-morrison-can-teach-about-editing\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Dana A. Williams on what Toni Morrison can teach us about editing"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">On the latest episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">Nieman Storyboard podcast<\/a>, we\u2019re joined by Dana A. Williams, author of the new book <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/toni-at-random-the-iconic-writer-s-legendary-editorship-dana-williams\/21828027?ean=9780063011977&amp;next=t\">\u201cToni at Random: The Iconic Writer\u2019s Legendary Editorship,\u201d<\/a> for a conversation about Toni Morrison and her work as a trade editor at Random House, where she championed Black writers working in all genres and ultimately changed the publishing landscape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The book is the first to focus solely on the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer\u2019s editing career, and it offers previously untold stories about Morrison&#8217;s work and insights into the editor-writer relationship. Morrison edited more than 50 books, including works by Toni Cade Bambara, Lucille Clifton, Huey P. Newton, Leon Forrest, Gayl Jones, Angela Davis, and Muhammad Ali. She even edited a cookbook.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-17517861\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/17517861-author-dana-a-williams-on-what-toni-morrison-can-teach-us-about-editing.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-17517861&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Morrison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/08\/06\/books\/toni-morrison-dead.html\">died in 2019 at age 88<\/a>. Williams, professor of African American Literature and dean of the Graduate School at Howard University, had Morrison&#8217;s blessing to write the book and the privilege of interviewing her, and also conducted research in Morrison&#8217;s archives at <a href=\"https:\/\/library.princeton.edu\/about\/library-news\/2021\/princeton-university-hosts-community-wide-series-exhibitions-and-events\">Princeton University<\/a> and Random House&#8217;s archives <a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.library.columbia.edu\/archives\/cul-4079581\">at Columbia University<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Williams shares moments from her interviews with Morrison, warm letters between Morrison and writers like Bambara, and some of the indignities Morrison faced as an editor (being hung up on, having her credentials questioned).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Williams also recalls how Morrison helped her land on the new book\u2019s title. Once an editor, always an editor.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Excerpts below are edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/toni-at-random-the-iconic-writer-s-legendary-editorship-dana-williams\/21828027?ean=9780063011977&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=coop_harpercollins&amp;utm_content=harpercollins_dsa&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=publisher_coop_dsa&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=173694767454&amp;device=c&amp;matchtype=&amp;utm_adgroup=dsa_bookshop&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=22224636854&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld40tGI5tnMDsr7b0aXFqBJjPW&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwm93DBhD_ARIsADR_DjFFb3MPlLi0eZ574_6qqAat4OOCmuBY1MHDeYEyz4wKbBuspPUY3Q0aAjUBEALw_wcB\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Toni at Random book\" class=\"wp-image-15818\" style=\"width:748px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/toni-at-random-landscape.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/toni-at-random-the-iconic-writer-s-legendary-editorship-dana-williams\/21828027?ean=9780063011977&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=coop_harpercollins&amp;utm_content=harpercollins_dsa&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=publisher_coop_dsa&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=173694767454&amp;device=c&amp;matchtype=&amp;utm_adgroup=dsa_bookshop&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=22224636854&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACfld40tGI5tnMDsr7b0aXFqBJjPW&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwm93DBhD_ARIsADR_DjFFb3MPlLi0eZ574_6qqAat4OOCmuBY1MHDeYEyz4wKbBuspPUY3Q0aAjUBEALw_wcB\">&#8220;Toni at Random,&#8221;<\/a> by Dana A. Williams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On interviewing Morrison:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>You have to be willing to accept where she is at any given moment. There were some times when she was incredibly generous, and there were other times when she clearly had some other things that she was wanting to do. And so I had to learn: Let the story go where it will, and trust that when she says we can talk more later, you&#8217;ll have that opportunity to talk more later.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The first time that we met to talk about the book in her office in Princeton, she knew [I was] working on these five Black writers. I&#8217;m working on this fiction, and she didn&#8217;t talk about a single one of them. She talked about everything else and I thought, \u201cOh boy, I don&#8217;t know how this is gonna work out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>And then, at the end, she goes, \u201cAnd if I can be helpful, let&#8217;s just set up some more time. I&#8217;m glad you&#8217;re working on this. You know, I really want people to understand what happened in the editorship.\u201d And I&#8217;m thinking to myself, \u201cDo you really? Because I asked you some pointed questions and you pointed me in different directions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>But again, that was, I think, her subtle way of saying this isn&#8217;t just about the fiction. This is the bigger conversation. So I ended up conceding, interestingly enough, that this was going to be a bigger book than what I had initially thought.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workshopping the book\u2019s title with Morrison:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>[Morrison] lets me make this small talk until ultimately she&#8217;s like, \u201cSo how&#8217;s it going?\u201d And as a writer, she was gentle. I said, \u201cWell, I&#8217;m not making as much progress as I would want to. Things are a little bit slower. But I have the title. And things are going to jell because [if] you get the title, you know where you&#8217;re going.\u201d And I say, \u201cThe House That Toni Built at Random.\u201d \u2026 And she goes, \u201cEh, smart, but too long.\u201d So now my one little celebration also seems to be devastated. And she says, \u201cToni at Random.\u201d I say, \u201cWell, I don&#8217;t know. Can I call you Toni?\u201d And she says, \u201cWell, \u2018Chloe at Random,\u2019 no one would get it.\u201d [Editor\u2019s note: Chloe Wofford is Morrison\u2019s birth name.]<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Morrison\u2019s approach to book editing:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The thing that &#8230; was true for every book, no matter what, was to clarify whatever the point that you&#8217;re trying to make. So if there&#8217;s a theme in fiction, be sure that it&#8217;s there. Be sure that all of the stories either hang together or there are no uncertainties about a character. &#8230; So there were always clarifying questions. And then there was the post-manuscript completion moment that we don&#8217;t talk about or think about enough in terms of promotion. A really good editor makes sure that the book gets in the hands of the right people, and I think she was probably better at that than most people.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Morrison viewed the editor&#8217;s role:&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>When I was talking to her about it, to say, \u201cAll right, tell me, what makes a good editor?\u201d And she said, \u2018Well, the book makes a good editor. The writer makes a good editor. It&#8217;s not the editor; it&#8217;s the work itself. Now what I can do to make it better varies from book to book.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>There were some writers, like when she talked about Toni Cade Bambara, she said, \u201cMy only job with Bambara was to make sure that the story held together and that she wasn&#8217;t leaving the reader behind.\u201d She would joke about Bambara moving so fast that if the reader didn&#8217;t keep up, then the reader just got lost. So sometimes it would be slowing her down, adding a sentence or two to give the reader some time to process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Interestingly enough, I didn&#8217;t know it at the time, but I think that was a function of Morrison&#8217;s work in the theater. The time that she spent at Howard that she talked about most positively was as an actor herself. And one of the techniques for playwrights is if there&#8217;s a line that punches, you have to give the audience an opportunity to pause, to catch up, before you move to the next line.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On how Morrison managed editor-writer friction:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The thing that she tells [Nigerian writer] Chinweizu [Ibekwe], who was the person who hung up on her, is the thing that resonates the most with me. She writes to him not to worry, that she cannot stay mad at people, only the institutions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Her interaction with writers and with other people in a general sense was, \u201cWe don&#8217;t have to agree. If we have a similar type of motivation toward honoring the culture in some way, it&#8217;s fine. \u200aThere will be disagreements, but in the end it&#8217;s structures that I don&#8217;t forgive, or that I can&#8217;t bridge a gap.\u201d So there was this fundamental sense that the author-editor relationship will be tested. But I appreciated that she didn&#8217;t take any of it personally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On Williams&#8217;s archival research:<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Morrison&#8217;s archives are at Princeton and I used them to fill in gaps. The Random House archives are at Columbia. I worked primarily in the Random House collection because they&#8217;re filed based on who the editor was. So when I&#8217;m trying to figure out what her comments were directly on the page for Toni Cade Bambara, I would go to the Bambara manuscripts, see what the comments were. But then I also had to go to Spelman [College in Atlanta] to look at Bambara\u2019s archive, to make sure that I wasn&#8217;t missing anything, because my obsession was that there was going to be some glaring hole \u2014 some big mistake that I made that I couldn&#8217;t live with myself on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Every archive that was available to me, I tried to get to. I wanted to make sure that there wasn&#8217;t anything that I was missing.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reading &amp; Listening List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/toni-at-random-the-iconic-writer-s-legendary-editorship-dana-williams\/21828027\">\u201cToni at Random: The Iconic Writer\u2019s Legendary Editorship\u201d<\/a> (Dana A. Williams, 2025)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/conversations-with-leon-forrest-dana-a-williams\/6895989?ean=9781578069903&amp;next=t\">\u201cConversations with Leon Forrest\u201d<\/a> (Dana A. Williams, 2007)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.howard.edu\/dana-williams\">Dana A. Williams at Howard University<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-indignant-generation-a-narrative-history-of-african-american-writers-and-critics-1934-1960-lawrence-p-jackson\/8925606?ean=9780691157894&amp;next=t\">\u201cThe Indignant Generation: A Narrative History of African American Writers and Critics, 1934-1960\u201d<\/a> (Lawrence P. Jackson, 2011)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/beta-search?keywords=Toni+Morrison\">Books written by Toni Morrison<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chipublib.org\/blogs\/post\/top-picks-books-edited-by-toni-morrison\/\">Books edited by Toni Morrison<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/library.princeton.edu\/about\/library-news\/2021\/princeton-university-hosts-community-wide-series-exhibitions-and-events\">Toni Morrison&#8217;s archive at Princeton University<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/findingaids.library.columbia.edu\/archives\/cul-4079581\">Random House archives at Columbia University<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spelman.edu\/about\/archives\/collections\/toni-cade-bambara-papers.html\">Toni Cade Bambara papers at Spelman College<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.radcliffe.harvard.edu\/schlesinger-library\/collections\/june-jordan\">June Jordan archives at Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/deep-sightings-and-rescue-missions-toni-cade-bambara\/1100619332\">\u201cDeep Sightings and Rescue Missions: Fiction, Essays and Conversations\u201d<\/a> (Toni Cade Bambara)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/those-bones-are-not-my-child-toni-cade-bambara\/1100619898?ean=9780679774082\">\u201cThose Bones Are Not My Child\u201d<\/a> (Toni Cade Bambara, 2000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/corregidora-gayl-jones\/9010948\">\u201cCorregidora\u201d<\/a> (Gayl Jones, 1975)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lareviewofbooks.org\/article\/there-is-no-point-in-my-being-other-than-honest-with-you-on-toni-morrisons-rejection-letters\/\">There Is No Point in My Being Other Than Honest with You: On Toni Morrison\u2019s Rejection Letters<\/a>\u201d (Melina Moe, Los Angeles Review of Books, March 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zora.medium.com\/toni-morrison-as-an-editor-changed-book-publishing-forever-5b6127a40afa\">\u201cToni Morrison as an editor changed book publishing forever\u201d<\/a> (Arielle Gray, ZORA, 2021)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tonimorrisonsociety.org\/\">The Toni Morrison Society<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Creole-Feast-Fifteen-Orleans-Secrets\/dp\/160801150X\">\u201cCreole Feast: Fifteen Master Chefs of New Orleans Reveal Their Secrets\u201d<\/a> (Nathaniel Burton, Rudy Lombard)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-greatest-my-own-story\/18944190\">\u201cThe Greatest: My Own Story\u201d<\/a> (Muhammad Ali)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lannan.georgetown.edu\/past-guests\/eleanor-w-traylor\/\">Eleanor W. Traylor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.junejordan.net\/\">June Jordan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/us.macmillan.com\/author\/nettiejones\">Nettie Jones<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eveewing.com\/\">Eve Ewing<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ta-nehisicoates.com\/\">Ta-Nehisi Coates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hauserwirth.com\/artists\/41313-barbara-chase-riboud\/\">Barbara Chase-Riboud<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/p\/jesmyn-ward\">Jesmyn Ward<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nikolehannahjones.com\/\">Nikole Hannah-Jones<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/abby-west\/\">Abby West<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/makayla-tabron-0b4903178\">Makayla Tabron<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Credits<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Nieman Storyboard podcast\" class=\"wp-image-15145\" style=\"width:338px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-2048x2048.png 2048w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-40x40.png 40w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-180x180.png 180w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-115x115.png 115w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Nieman-Storyboard-Podcast_Square-Logo-Sharp-A-230x230.png 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Hosted and produced by Mark Armstrong<br>Episode producer and interview by Christina M. Tapper<br>Episode editor: Kelly Araja<br>Audience editor: Adriana Lacy<br>Promotional support: Ellen Tuttle<br>Operational support: Paul Plutnicki, Peter Canova<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Foundation interim curator: Henry Chu<br>Music: \u201cGolden Grass,\u201d by Blue Dot Sessions (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sessions.blue\/\">www.sessions.blue<\/a>)<br>Cover design by Adriana Lacy<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Nieman Storyboard is presented by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/\">Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Williams&#8217;s new book, \u201cToni at Random,\u201d gives us a deeper look into the literary titan\u2019s craft and career in elevating the voices of Black writers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[443,7],"tags":[429,425,430],"topics":[],"authors":[460],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-15812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","category-5-questions","tag-books","tag-podcasts","tag-publishing","authors-christina-m-tapper"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Author Dana A. Williams on what Toni Morrison can teach us about editing - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Williams&#039;s new book, \u201cToni at Random,\u201d gives us a deeper look into the literary titan\u2019s craft and career in elevating the voices of Black writers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/07\/17\/dana-a-williams-what-toni-morrison-can-teach-about-editing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Author Dana A. 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