Percival Everett visited UW–Madison this November as part of the university’s Go Big Read program, which selected his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel James for the 2025–26 academic year. The novel reimagines Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. During Everett’s time on campus, the Department of African American Studies and the Black Cultural Center co-hosted an intimate meet-and-greet for students. The event provided an opportunity for students to discuss James directly with Everett in a small-group setting. Over coffee, students asked questions about the novel’s narrative structure, its engagement with history and present politics, and Everett’s approach to writing. The visit coincided with larger public conversations and Everett’s keynote address to a wider campus audience, held as part of the Go Big Read program.
