“You wanna fly, you gotta give up the shit that weighs you down,” wrote Toni Morrison in her searing third novel, Song of Solomon (1977). Over three days, a stellar cast of writers that includes Edwige Danticat (Krik? Krak!), Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Tommy Orange (There There), Jesmyn Ward (Salvage the Bones), and Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) brings the book’s ever relevant lessons to life. The marathon reading is introduced by Kevin Young, poetry editor of The New Yorker, and Louise Erdrich (The Round House) concludes the epic tale with Morrison’s kicker, both hard-hitting and hopeful: “If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.” The marathon performance is part of the “Words Shape Our World” series, presented to benefit the New York City nonprofit Literacy Partners. —J.V.

Readings will take place on Friday from eight to 11 P.M. E.T., on Saturday from two to six P.M. E.T., and on Sunday from two to 6:30 P.M. E.T.