Bird Artist Series: Two-Time Pulitzer Winner Visits Campus for Community Presentation, Discussion | LFA News
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:31
Bird Artist Series: Two-Time Pulitzer Winner Visits Campus for Community Presentation, Discussion | LFA News
Skip To Main Content
Bird Artist Series: Two-Time Pulitzer Winner Visits Campus for Community Presentation, Discussion
Apr
7
2026
This story, along with additional photos, was originally featured in the Winter 2025 issue of the
LFA Review
.
The Cressey Center for the Arts is full. Students, faculty and staff, parents, and friends of LFA alike fill the seats. A line forms at a book-selling table as excited chatter echoes throughout the space. Why have the masses gathered on a chilly night in October? Well, it's to see none other than two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead, of course.
Whitehead is only the fourth writer to win two Pulitzer Prizes in the fiction category with his No. 1
New York Times
bestseller
The Underground Railroad
winning in 2017 (also an Oprah's Book Club selection and winner of the 2016 National Book Award) and
New York Times
bestseller
The Nickel Boys
in 2020 (also winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the 2020 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction). His additional works, which include reviews, essays, and fiction, have appeared in a number of publications, including
The New York Times
,
The New Yorker
, and
New York Magazine
. He has received a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, and was named New York's 11th State Author in 2018, among his accolades.
Joining the LFA community on Thursday, Oct. 23, Whitehead led a community presentation as a part of LFA's Bird Artist Series. The community presentation featured two segments: first, Whitehead spoke about notable life experiences and how they shaped his path to writing and his works themselves; then, Whitehead answered questions from LFA students with the Dr. Ray Bird Jr. Master Chair in English
Jon Freeman P’27, ’29
. The evening concluded with a book signing where attendees could speak with Whitehead, have their books personalized, and snap some photos. Whitehead returned to the LFA campus the following day, meeting with English classes and various LFA faculty in more informal Q&A sessions.
Whitehead's event marked the first Bird Artist Series community presentation of the 2025-26 school year. In recent years, the series has welcomed over a dozen guests from a variety of backgrounds: poets, authors, writers, artists, and more have graced LFA's stages and classrooms. In his role as Dr. Ray Bird Jr. Master Chair in English, Freeman is responsible for selecting and coordinating guest visits.
"The process always starts with looking at which authors we are teaching in the English department, which genres, because the greatest value with visiting authors is meeting students where they are. Sometimes, our guests are just someone doing really cool work that I think our students and faculty would enjoy, but curricular relevancy is always the primary driving force," Freeman said. "When you look at Colson, he's such a part of the English curriculum that almost half of our students are currently reading or have read at least one of his books. He was always on our radar as the ultimate person to bring in."
The Bird Artist Series is named after former Lake Forest Academy English teacher
Ray Bird
. Bird taught English 9, 10, and AP English Literature for 12 years starting in 1995. He taught his students to love literature, to test the boundaries of their imaginative abilities, and to open their minds to ideas both novel and arcane. With a quick wit, abundant gestures, and a limitless supply of energy, Bird captivated his students and instilled a lifelong passion for reading, writing, and creative expression - a sentiment Freeman is aiming to continue with the Bird Artist Series.
"Those that know Ray would all remember him as probably the most enthusiastic teacher in their memory. He didn't just wish success for his students, it was almost like he willed it into being, and I think the Bird Artist Series is a really fitting tribute to the work he did here," Freeman said. "I always try to put the student experience at the center of every decision I make and it's truly a joy to be in this position."
While Bird Artist Series community presentations are open to the public, the focus of the program is on providing invaluable access to notable creative minds that builds on the student experience that LFA provides. One such student,
Roman McLaurine ’26
, had the opportunity to introduce Whitehead at the community presentation and speak to the author on a more personal level.
"I was nervous it was going to be this surreal experience, and it was, but I also learned that [people like Whitehead] are human too. It was amazing being able to hear about not just his writing, but how he thinks, about his life experiences, and his way with words," McLaurine said. "Events like these unite us as a community, when we can all come together and build our beliefs and our confidence to express ourselves."
The Bird Artist Series is one of many programs at Lake Forest Academy made possible due to the generosity of its community. For more information and opportunities to expand LFA's reach through initiatives like the Bird Artist Series, please reach out to the advancement office at
advancement@lfanet.org
.
Back to School News
Skip To Main Content
Bird Artist Series: Two-Time Pulitzer Winner Visits Campus for Community Presentation, Discussion
Apr
7
2026
This story, along with additional photos, was originally featured in the Winter 2025 issue of the
LFA Review
.
The Cressey Center for the Arts is full. Students, faculty and staff, parents, and friends of LFA alike fill the seats. A line forms at a book-selling table as excited chatter echoes throughout the space. Why have the masses gathered on a chilly night in October? Well, it's to see none other than two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead, of course.
Whitehead is only the fourth writer to win two Pulitzer Prizes in the fiction category with his No. 1
New York Times
bestseller
The Underground Railroad
winning in 2017 (also an Oprah's Book Club selection and winner of the 2016 National Book Award) and
New York Times
bestseller
The Nickel Boys
in 2020 (also winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the 2020 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction). His additional works, which include reviews, essays, and fiction, have appeared in a number of publications, including
The New York Times
,
The New Yorker
, and
New York Magazine
. He has received a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, and was named New York's 11th State Author in 2018, among his accolades.
Joining the LFA community on Thursday, Oct. 23, Whitehead led a community presentation as a part of LFA's Bird Artist Series. The community presentation featured two segments: first, Whitehead spoke about notable life experiences and how they shaped his path to writing and his works themselves; then, Whitehead answered questions from LFA students with the Dr. Ray Bird Jr. Master Chair in English
Jon Freeman P’27, ’29
. The evening concluded with a book signing where attendees could speak with Whitehead, have their books personalized, and snap some photos. Whitehead returned to the LFA campus the following day, meeting with English classes and various LFA faculty in more informal Q&A sessions.
Whitehead's event marked the first Bird Artist Series community presentation of the 2025-26 school year. In recent years, the series has welcomed over a dozen guests from a variety of backgrounds: poets, authors, writers, artists, and more have graced LFA's stages and classrooms. In his role as Dr. Ray Bird Jr. Master Chair in English, Freeman is responsible for selecting and coordinating guest visits.
"The process always starts with looking at which authors we are teaching in the English department, which genres, because the greatest value with visiting authors is meeting students where they are. Sometimes, our guests are just someone doing really cool work that I think our students and faculty would enjoy, but curricular relevancy is always the primary driving force," Freeman said. "When you look at Colson, he's such a part of the English curriculum that almost half of our students are currently reading or have read at least one of his books. He was always on our radar as the ultimate person to bring in."
The Bird Artist Series is named after former Lake Forest Academy English teacher
Ray Bird
. Bird taught English 9, 10, and AP English Literature for 12 years starting in 1995. He taught his students to love literature, to test the boundaries of their imaginative abilities, and to open their minds to ideas both novel and arcane. With a quick wit, abundant gestures, and a limitless supply of energy, Bird captivated his students and instilled a lifelong passion for reading, writing, and creative expression - a sentiment Freeman is aiming to continue with the Bird Artist Series.
"Those that know Ray would all remember him as probably the most enthusiastic teacher in their memory. He didn't just wish success for his students, it was almost like he willed it into being, and I think the Bird Artist Series is a really fitting tribute to the work he did here," Freeman said. "I always try to put the student experience at the center of every decision I make and it's truly a joy to be in this position."
While Bird Artist Series community presentations are open to the public, the focus of the program is on providing invaluable access to notable creative minds that builds on the student experience that LFA provides. One such student,
Roman McLaurine ’26
, had the opportunity to introduce Whitehead at the community presentation and speak to the author on a more personal level.
"I was nervous it was going to be this surreal experience, and it was, but I also learned that [people like Whitehead] are human too. It was amazing being able to hear about not just his writing, but how he thinks, about his life experiences, and his way with words," McLaurine said. "Events like these unite us as a community, when we can all come together and build our beliefs and our confidence to express ourselves."
The Bird Artist Series is one of many programs at Lake Forest Academy made possible due to the generosity of its community. For more information and opportunities to expand LFA's reach through initiatives like the Bird Artist Series, please reach out to the advancement office at
advancement@lfanet.org
.
Back to School News