'Colorization'

'Colorization'

Writer Wil Haygood to Read from Book on the Legacy of Black Films Sept. 8 at Ohio Wesleyan

DELAWARE, Ohio - Bestselling author, prize-winning journalist, acclaimed biographer, and cultural historian Wil Haygood will read from his book "Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World" during a special event at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Haygood will present his free reading at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Benes Rooms inside OWU's Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. A book sale and signing will follow. The event is the university's 2026-2027 Katherine Kearney Carpenter Lecture sponsored by the Department of English.

"Colorization" provides readers with an unprecedented history of Black cinema and a groundbreaking perspective on racism in modern America. Haygood uses the struggles and triumphs of the artists, and the films themselves, as a prism through which to explore Black culture and the Civil Rights movement.

"Colorization" was a New York Times critics' top book of the year, a Booklist editor's choice, and one of NPR's best books of 2021. In Booklist's starred review, writer Lesley Williams shared: "Like Black history, Black film is indisputably entwined with American history. Haygood emphasizes this point from the start of this captivating chronicle of a century. … Haygood's defining history is as moving as it is enlightening."

Best known for The New York Times bestsellers "The Butler" and "Showdown," Haygood's work has chronicled America's civil rights journey through acclaimed biographies of Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Sammy Davis Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson and Eugene Allen, the real-life inspiration for Lee Daniels' award -winning film, "The Butler." In his latest book, "The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home," Haygood contextualizes the racial strife that dominated so much of life in those years and still dominates it today.

Haygood's talent for writing and reporting was honed during his years as a journalist. For 30 years, he was a national and foreign correspondent for The Washington Post and Boston Globe, covering events including Nelson Mandela's release from prison after 27 years, the ascent of President Obama, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and his own experience as the hostage of Somali rebels.

Haygood was the first in his family to attend college, studying urban studies and English literature at Ohio's Miami University. Ohio Wesleyan awarded Haygood an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2015, OWU's highest honor, in recognition of his scholarly and personal achievements.

Ohio Wesleyan's Carpenter Lecture Series was established in 1967 with an endowment from the late O. William Carpenter in honor of his wife, Katherine Kearney Carpenter. Previous Carpenter Lecturers include Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom Carol Ann Duffy; National Book Award winners William Stafford, Tim O'Brien, Amy Tan, and Joyce Carol Oates; 1995 Nobel Prize for Literature winner Seamus Heaney; New York Times bestselling essayist Leslie Jamison; Nobel Prize-winning poet-playwright Derek Walcott; and former U.S. Poet Laureate Howard Nemerov. Other writers in the series have included Carlos Fuentes, Russell Banks, Tobias Wolff, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan's Department of English at owu.edu/English.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.