Colson Whitehead is one of America’s most skilled and essential storytellers, holding the horrors of history in one hand and big-hearted humanity in the other. After consecutive Pulitzer Prize-winners, The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, he concludes his acclaimed Harlem trilogy with Cool Machine: a portrait of hustle in 1980s New York. Join Whitehead, who is uniquely qualified to parse America’s past and present, for an energising conversation on why we can’t move forward without looking back. Chaired by Samira Ahmed.

Supported by Claire & Mark Urquhart.