Youngstown State University will host an all-day community reading of Toni Morrison’s novel “Jazz” on Tuesday, Feb. 18, inviting students, faculty and community members to participate in a celebration of the acclaimed author’s literary legacy.

The event, presented by the YSU Poetry Center, YSU Poetry Club, YSU Student Literary Arts Association, Jazz Studies Program and the Department of English and World Languages, is part of “Beloved. Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison,” a yearlong, statewide celebration honoring Morrison’s life and work. Morrison, an Ohio native who grew up in Lorain, was the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Feb. 18 would have marked her 95th birthday.

The public reading will take place from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the lobby of DeBartolo Hall. A live jazz interlude featuring student musicians from YSU’s Dana School of Music Jazz Studies program will follow from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Bliss Hall, Room 2200. The reading will then resume from 2 to 3 p.m. in the DeBartolo Hall lobby.

Food and drinks will be available in DeBartolo Hall following the afternoon session. The event is free and open to the public. Community members are encouraged to attend any portion of the day and take part in the shared reading experience.

The event is free and open to the public. Those interested in participating as readers can sign up in advance online.

For more information visit: Reading Jazz with Jazz.