Toni Morrison

First Day of Issue Date: March 7, 2023

First Day of Issue Location: Princeton, NJ

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates Toni Morrison (1931–2019), whose artfully crafted novels explored the diverse voices and multifaceted experiences of African Americans.

Eager to see the previously untold stories of African American women portrayed in fiction, Morrison published her first novel, The Bluest Eye in 1970. The book remains a canonical novel about the damage of internalized racism and society’s neglect and mistreatment of African American girls and has become a mainstay of high school and college literature classes.

Morrison would achieve further success with Sula, her 1973 novel that dramatizes the relationship between two childhood friends. Song of Solomon, published in 1977, was both a national bestseller and a recipient of tremendous critical acclaim for its portrayal of the African American search for identity. Her 1981 novel Tar Baby was a study of racism and conflicting identities on a Caribbean island.

In 1987, the publication of Beloved brought Morrison a new level of critical success. The acclaimed novel tells the story of a woman who escapes enslavement but murders her own daughter to prevent her from being returned to slavery. A harrowing rumination on trauma and the lingering, even haunting nature of the past, Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize and firmly secured Morrison’s reputation as a great American writer.

In 1989, Morrison became the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University. In 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first African American woman to receive the distinction.

Morrison was the rare author who achieved both bestseller status and critical success. In her later novels, including Paradise (1998), Love (2003), A Mercy (2008), Home (2012), and God Help the Child (2015), she continued to experiment with language and push the possibilities of storytelling.

Art director Ethel Kessler designed this stamp with a photograph by Deborah Feingold.

The Toni Morrison stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in panes of 20. This Forever stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Toni Morrison Stamps

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates Toni Morrison (1931–2019), whose artfully crafted novels explored the diverse voices and multifaceted experiences of African Americans.

$12.60

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Toni Morrison Digital Color Postmark

Honor the life and work of a great American author with this Toni Morrison Digital Color Postmark First Day Cover. The #6 ¾ envelope is affixed with a Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

$2.03

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Toni Morrison First Day Cover

Honor the life and work of a great American author with this Toni Morrison First Day Cover. The #6 ¾ envelope is affixed with a Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

$1.18

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Toni Morrison Stamp Ceremony Memento

Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.Immerse yourself in her life with this Toni Morrison Stamp Ceremony Memento.

This new collectible contains the First Day of Issue Ceremony Invitation, the First Day of Issue Ceremony Program, a Digital Color Postmark First Day Cover, and a pane of 20 Toni Morrison Forever® stamps.

$29.95

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Toni Morrison Press Sheet with Die-Cuts

Celebrate the life and work of American author Toni Morrison with this 11.8(w) x 21.36(h)-inch press sheet, containing six sheets of Toni Morrison Forever® stamps positioned two across by three down.

Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Known for books such as The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved, Morrison was the rare author who achieved both bestseller status and critical success.

$75.60

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Toni Morrison Press Sheet without Die-Cuts

*The stamps on these sheets do not contain perforations.

$75.60

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Toni Morrison Bookmark

Celebrate the lyric beauty of Toni Morrison’s wisdom and prose with this keepsake bookmark. The back of the bookmark bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

The perfect gift for book lovers everywhere.

$5.95

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Toni Morrison Stamp Portfolio

Celebrate the rise of one of America’s greatest writers with this striking new stamp portfolio. The portfolio explores Morrisons’s literary legacy and includes a behind-the-scenes look at the stamp design. Also included is a 5(w) x 7(h)-inch collectible cancellation card and a mint pane of 20 Toni Morrison Forever® stamps.

$23.95

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Field Notes® Notebooks

Collect story ideas and titles of books to read with these pocket-size notebooks from the classic FIELD NOTES brand. Includes a set of three 3.5(w) x 5.5(h)-inch notebooks, each with the Toni Morrison stamp affixed to the cover and cancelled with the official First Day of Issue Postmark.

$14.95

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Toni Morrison Framed Stamp

Toni Morrison is one of America’s greatest writers. Share your admiration for her work and vision with this stunning 9.5(w) x 11.5(h)-inch framed image along with a mounted Toni Morrison Forever® stamp and the First Day of Issue details.

Showcased in a classic black frame, the piece also includes a clear dust cover, protective felt bumpers, and a sawtooth hanger on the back for easy display.

$29.95

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Toni Morrison American Commemorative Panel

Celebrate the life and work of American author Toni Morrisonwith this new American Commemorative Panel®. The 8.5"(W) x 11.25"(H) panel, printed on sturdy card stock, features a narrative about Morrison’s literary career and is accompanied by a block of four Toni Morrison Forever® stamps in a protective acetate mount.

The panel also includes an intaglio-printed component designed explicitly designed for the American Commemorative Panels® program.

Quantities are limited.

$11.95

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Ceremony details for Toni Morrison stamp

www.linns.com

Toni Morrison

Stamp Brief

First Day of Issue Ceremony

Stamp Art Director

Ethel Kessler