For nearly a decade, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead’s life has been intertwined with the characters in his bestselling Harlem Trilogy, an urban masterpiece which came to a rousing finale with the final installment, Cool Machine, released in July.
Since its publication, Whitehead has toured extensively, making numerous appearances both in the U.S. and abroad. His final stop of 2026 is scheduled for December in Tulsa, where he will receive the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, presented by the Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Library Trust.
The prestigious award consists of a $40,000 cash prize and an engraved crystal book.
“But for all its bullets and mayhem, Cool Machine is ultimately a meditation on growing old without surrendering one’s appetite for life. That might sound melancholy, but it’s probably illegal to have this much fun writing a crime novel,” wrote former Washington Post book critic Ron Charles in his review of Cool Machine on Substack.com on July 21.
Even though the trilogy deals with serious real-world issues such as racism and police violence, it has also been described as rollicking and fun.
“If you’re someone who likes to make jokes like me, you’re going to have an ironic relationship to the [crime] genre,” said Whitehead about the trilogy on NPR’s Book of the Day podcast on July 27. “So having fun with the supporting cast, some of the tropes and rhetoric, there’s a lot of opportunities for humor. The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys were very sober books, but part of my project is pointing out the absurdity of life, and I get to do that in this trilogy. I get to have fun; I get to tell jokes and have a hero who’s not as determined by social circumstances as, say, the characters in Underground or The Nickel Boys.”
During his stellar career, the 1991 Harvard graduate has won many accolades, including two Pulitzers: the first in 2017 for his novel The Underground Railroad, which also won the 2016 National Book Award, and the second in 2020 for his next novel, The Nickel Boys. Whitehead joined William Faulkner, John Updike (1987 Helmerich Award recipient) and Booth Tarkington as the only writers to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction twice. However, Whitehead holds the distinction as the only one to win the prize for consecutive efforts.
“While Colson Whitehead clearly needs no further affirmation of his profound artistry over several different styles – his honors between two Pulitzers and a MacArthur Fellowship confirm that – the selection committee believes that his considerable and ongoing contributions to literature deserve to be showcased for both his many followers in Tulsa, as well as being brought to the attention of all those who appreciate fine writing,” says Margaret Erling, chair of the Helmerich Award Author Selection Committee.
2026 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
Featuring Colson Whitehead
Free Public Presentation and Book Signing
Thursday, Dec. 3 ● 5:30 p.m.
Rudisill Regional Library
1017 N. Greenwood Ave., Tulsa
Author Presentation & Black-Tie Gala
Friday, Dec. 4 ● 6 p.m.
Central Library
Fifth Street and Denver Avenue, Tulsa
Visit tulsalibrary.org/helmerichaward for more details.
