Behind the Book
3D mock-up of the book cover for The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Live recordingUpcoming

Two Pulitzers and a heist novel

with Colson Whitehead — Novelist

Date
Wed, September 23, 2026
Time
local
Venue
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC

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What happens in the room

Switching register between horror, satire and crime — and why he refuses to write the same book twice.

$22 · students $10

About Colson Whitehead

  • Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2017
  • National Book Award, 2016
  • Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2020

A New Yorker who began as a television critic at The Village Voice, Whitehead sat on the premise of The Underground Railroad for sixteen years because he didn't believe he was ready to write it. He is one of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice.

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RSVP for the evening with Colson Whitehead

Free, but the rooms are small. Confirmation lands straight away, then reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before.

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Also with Colson

3D mock-up of the book cover for The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadWorkshopUpcoming

The Underground Railroad · Doubleday, 2016

Sixteen years of waiting: writing the book you're not ready for

with Colson Whitehead — Novelist

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2017

Date
Wed, March 11, 2026
Time
local time
Venue
The Center for Fiction, Brooklyn, NY

A two-hour session on rationing research, timing your own readiness, and structure as a map of genres.

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3D mock-up of the book cover for The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadIn conversationUpcoming

The Underground Railroad · Doubleday, 2016

Reading the primary sources, with a time limit

with Colson Whitehead — Novelist

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 2017

Date
Wed, June 10, 2026
Time
local time
Venue
Goldsmiths, New Cross, London, UK

How to research atrocity and stay functional: mornings only, notes not immersion, bad television afterwards.

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