Critically Acclaimed Author Percival Everett to Speak at UW Oct. 29

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Percival Everett is set to speak Thursday, Oct. 29, at the University of Wyoming.

His book talk, which is free and open to the public, will be at 4 p.m. in the UW Education Auditorium.

A book signing will immediately follow his talk. The University Store will have copies of his books available for purchase before and after the talk.

In addition to the talk, there will be a film screening of the movie “American Fiction,” which is based on Everett’s novel “Erasure” (2001). The screening will take place Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. at Studio City UW. This event also is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available for purchase before and during the screening.

Everett is an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of Southern California. His most recent novel, “James,” published in March 2024, has received critical acclaim for its reimagining of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Told from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man, the novel explores race, identity, literacy and freedom. The novel won the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

“Percival Everett is one of the most exciting writers on the contemporary scene,” says Peter Parolin, dean of the UW Honors College. “His Pulitzer-winning ‘James’ is a brilliant novel that engages with and changes our relationship with ‘Huckleberry Finn.’ We’re very lucky to be welcoming him to UW.”

His 2001 novel “Erasure” was adapted into the 2023 feature film “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright. The film received widespread recognition and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film follows a frustrated novelist who creates a satirical book that challenges stereotypes about Black literature and the publishing industry.

Everett has written more than 30 books, including novels, short stories and works of satire. His work includes “Dr. No,” “The Trees,” “Telephone” and “So Much Blue.” His writing examines race, identity and the publishing industry, often using humor and satire to examine American culture and society.

Throughout his career, Everett has received numerous literary honors, including the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award and Yale University’s Windham-Campbell Prize. His work also has been recognized as finalists for the Booker Prize and the Pulitzer Prize.

His next book, “Serious Music,” follows a young Black musician navigating life after the war and the rise of racism in the early 20th century, moving from the jazz clubs of Paris and Harlem to an unexpected performance inside Woodrow Wilson’s White House. It is scheduled for release March 2, 2027.

Everett’s talk is sponsored by UW Libraries, the Honors College and the Department of English.

For more information regarding Everett’s talk, call the UW Honors College at (307) 766-4110 or email Parolin at parolin@uwyo.edu.