The Cleveland 50: Toni Morrison Wins a Pulitzer Prize

Lorain native Toni Morrison won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for her novel, Beloved, which came on the heels of Akronite Rita Dove’s 1987 Pulitzer for her poetry collection Thomas and Beulah. Their back-to-back triumphs solidified Northeast Ohio’s long-underappreciated reputation as an incubator of literary excellence.

Read more: A Local Poet Remembers Toni Morrison

Revisit more of Cleveland’s 50 most impactful moments over the past 50 years.