"An Evening with Colson Whitehead"
June 10, 2021
Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 7:30 PM
Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre
This performance will last approximately 90 minutes with no intermission, including an audience Q&A.*
"[Whitehead] is the best living American novelist."
— Chicago Tribune
“Be kind to everybody, make art, and fight the power.”
The first writer to win back-to-back Pulitzer Prizes for consecutive works of fiction, acclaimed American author Colson Whitehead has established himself as one of the most dazzling and innovative voices in contemporary literature. From the ground-shifting The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys to the razor-sharp Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto, his books are drenched in character, culture, and incisive reflections on American life.
Warm, candid, and often very funny, Whitehead brings honesty and wit to conversations about writing, history, and the power of storytelling to help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
About the Author
Whitehead is a New York Times–bestselling author of 11 works of fiction and nonfiction, including his New York Times bestseller, The Underground Railroad, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection and winner of the 2016 National Book Award and 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Winfrey raved, “From the first page of Colson Whitehead’s extraordinary novel The Underground Railroad, I knew I was reading something ground-shifting.” His New York Times bestseller The Nickel Boys won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (making him only the fourth writer to win two Pulitzers in the Fiction category), the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Fiction, and the 2020 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.
Whitehead’s most recent novels, Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto, are the first two installments of a trilogy set on the streets of New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. The third, Cool Machine, will be published in July 2026. The hugely entertaining stories offer hilarious morality plays, incisive commentary on race and power, and ultimately read as a love letter to Harlem. Several of Whitehead’s novels have been adapted for television and film, including producer Barry Jenkins’ Underground Railroad limited TV series on Amazon, MGM Orion’s film adaptation of The Nickel Boys, and HBO Max’s TV series on Sag Harbor.
Time magazine named Whitehead one of the “100 Most Influential People” in 2017, the Library of Congress awarded him the Prize for American Fiction in 2020, and in 2021 he received the National Humanities Medal from President Biden for his contributions “as an American literary icon.” His cultural impact continues to grow with each new book.
A dynamic speaker, Whitehead lectures with his characteristic honesty and wit. He is a winsome storyteller who enthralls audiences with anecdotes about his diverse bibliography, irreverent “Rules for Writing,” and his unique approach to every novel.
A 2016 National Book Award winner, The Underground Railroad is a magnificent tour de force that chronicles a young slave’s journey during a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. The novel offers a shattering meditation on the United States’ complicated political and racial history.
Whitehead’s 2019 book, The Nickel Boys, is an exploration of life under Jim Crow told from the perspective of two boys in one of the country’s most notorious real-life juvenile correction institutions, the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, located in the Florida panhandle. This meticulously researched and searing novel was an instant New York Times bestseller, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award and nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Whitehead is also the author of The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, The Colossus of New York (a book of essays about the city), Apex Hides the Hurt, Sag Harbor, Zone One, and The Noble Hustle. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s, and Granta, among other publications. A PEN/Faulkner Award finalist and recipient of the Carnegie Medal for Fiction, the Kirkus Prize, and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, Whitehead also received both a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has taught at universities across the country and lives in New York City.
Co-sponsored by the Academy of Transdisciplinary Studies, Africana Studies, Black Cultural Center, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Department of English Visiting Writers Series, Department of Sociology, and University Libraries
This is Whitehead's first appearance at the center.
Photo by Chris Close
* Run times listed here are based on information provided at this time and are subject to change.
FAQs
About This Event
Colson Whitehead has written 12 books, including 10 novels and two works of nonfiction. His acclaimed works include The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, both of which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His newest novel, Cool Machine, was published in 2026.
Colson Whitehead's books are widely available through major bookstores, independent booksellers, online retailers, and public libraries. If you'd like to read one before the event, consider starting with his Pulitzer Prize winning novels The Underground Railroad or The Nickel Boys, or his acclaimed Harlem trilogy beginning with Harlem Shuffle.
Attending a Performance at the Center
The most important thing is that you're comfortable. There is no dress code, so do what feels right for you. Do you want to get dressed to the nines for a special night out? You won't be the only one. Do you feel like keeping things casual? You won't be alone there, either.
All campus parking, including along Alumni Mall, requires a parking permit from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted by signage.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street at 300 Turner Street NW.
- For many Center for the Arts performances and large events, this garage will be staffed by an attendant and payment ($10, cash only) must be made at the time of entry. This event parking price is $2 higher than the garage’s daily rate to allow us to provide staffing to make both entering and exiting the garage more efficient for larger numbers of cars. You may exit at the Turner Street gate.
- All other times, visitors can take a ticket upon entrance and pay the $8 daily rate using Visa or Mastercard when exiting.
Convenient parking is also located in downtown Blacksburg. Town parking is free every day after 5:00 p.m.
Patrons are always welcome to drop off and pick up guests directly at the main doors of the Center for the Arts on Alumni Mall and Turner Street.
Allowing yourself extra time improves the experience for everyone! We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the performance so you have plenty of time for the safety screening and to get settled in your seats. Our lobbies and galleries open 90 minutes before performances, and the theatre doors open 30 minutes before the performance start time. Ushers will direct you to your seat and are happy to answer any questions.
For the safety of our guests and performers, all patrons may be required to pass through a walk-through metal detector before entering the theatre. The process is quick and touchless, and you may keep your personal belongings with you. If you need an alternate screening method, please speak with a member of our security team.
A small or clutch-size purse or clear bag is recommended. Oversized bags, luggage, and backpacks will not be permitted inside the theatre. Coat check will be available to check these items.
Concessions from Blacksburg Wine Lab are available for most performances. Concessions availability and locations will be included in the What to Know email for ticket holders. Concessions are available beginning an hour before the performance, so arrive early to avoid the lines and enjoy a drink before the show.
Cameras and recording equipment are not permitted inside the theatre during performances. To avoid distracting the artists and those around you, please turn off or silence your cell phone and put away all electronic devices before the performance begins. Photography, video recording, and audio recording are not permitted unless otherwise announced.
If you’re late, you may hear the beginning of the performance from the lobby while you wait to take your seat — either until intermission or an appropriate break in the program as requested and advised by the artists. Admitting late arrivals into the theatre is timed to cause as little disruption as possible to other guests and the performers on stage. In some cases, you may be seated in an alternate location in the theatre.
You will receive a “What to Know” email approximately 48 hours before the performance with helpful information on approximate runtimes, pre- and post-show activities, and any other information you will need to know before you head out the door.
We are committed to being fully accessible to all patrons and their companions and strive to make our patrons’ experiences convenient and comfortable. In addition to our venue’s universal design features, we offer services and accommodations for parking, seating, listening, sensory support, courtesy wheelchair, elevators, restrooms, service animals, sign language, and visual aids. Find out more.
No. Mobile tickets displayed on your smartphone are welcome, though printed tickets are also accepted.
While all sales are final, tickets to most events may be exchanged for another Center for the Arts performance within the current season. Please contact the box office at artscenter@vt.edu or by phone at 540-231-5300 at least one hour in advance of the scheduled performance to request an exchange. Refunds may be offered in extenuating circumstances at the discretion of the box office manager.