Toni Morrison at 80

Happy Birthday to Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye, Beloved). The Nobel Prize-winning author turned 80 yesterday and Carolyn Kellog gave the author a gorgeous tribute in the Los Angeles Times:

Today is Toni Morrison's 80th birthday. Born in Ohio, educated at Howard University and Cornell, Morrison's writing career started in earnest with her debut novel "The Bluest Eye," published in 1970. Her other works include "Sula," "Song of Solomon," and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Beloved," published in 1987.

In birthdays today: Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club) turns 59 and Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn) is 47.