Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics on an exploration of the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller.

In this excerpt from Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Toni Morrison recalls the time a Black childhood friend, who was 11 at the time, told her that she had been praying for blue eyes for two years. “This kind of racism hurts. This is not lynchings and murders and drownings. This is interior pain.” A film by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

In this excerpt from Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Toni Morrison talks about writing without the “white gaze.” She says, “I have spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.” A film by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

In this excerpt from "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am," Toni Morrison tells the story of going to Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize. "I like the Nobel Prize. Because they know how to give a party," she said. A film by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

"Toni Morrison is an extraordinary subject in front of the camera," says director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. In this interview, he talks about how he met Morrison and what it took to make this film. Photo: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

Cultural critic Fran Lebowitz says there's a specific reason why she would ask her good friend Toni Morrison for advice. In these outtakes from "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I am," she also talks about the time someone asked if she and Morrison were related. A film by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.