Ta-Nehisi Coates to visit Transylvania University for William R. Kenan Jr. Lecture

What can literature and journalism help us understand about history, identity and the world we share? Award-winning author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates will bring those questions to Transylvania University on Thursday, Nov. 5, for a public conversation as part of the William R. Kenan Jr. Lecture Series.

Titled "A Conversation With Ta-Nehisi Coates," the event begins at 7 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium. Presented in collaboration with the Bingham Center for Teaching Excellence and the Hazelrigg Lecture Series for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

Coates has earned national recognition for work that brings together historical research, personal narrative and critical examination of American life. Across nonfiction, fiction and journalism, he explores how history continues to shape the present - and how the stories we tell influence the way we understand ourselves and one another.

His books include "Between the World and Me," which received the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction, the novel "The Water Dancer," and "The Message," a work of nonfiction that examines the power of storytelling and the ways people make sense of place, history and identity.

Coates also spent a decade reporting for The Atlantic, where his writing included the widely discussed essay "The Case for Reparations." His journalism has helped bring complex questions about race, history and public life to broader national conversations. He currently serves as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

His visit offers students, faculty, staff and community members an opportunity to hear from a writer whose work crosses genres and invites readers to look more closely at the historical and cultural forces shaping contemporary life.

The William R. Kenan Jr. Lecture brings distinguished speakers to Transylvania University for conversations that encourage intellectual curiosity and engagement with ideas across disciplines.

Coates' appearance continues that tradition, creating space for a wider community conversation around literature, journalism, history and the experiences that shape how people see the world.

Whether readers know Coates through his books, essays or broader cultural commentary, the Nov. 5 event offers an opportunity to encounter his work in a shared setting and consider the questions it raises.

William R. Kenan Jr. Lecture: 'A Conversation With Ta-Nehisi Coates'

• When: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 7 p.m.
• Where: Haggin Auditorium, Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky
• Admission: Free and open to the public
• Tickets: No tickets required

For more information, contact Kremena Todorova, director of Creative Intelligence, at [email protected].