Colson Whitehead

Mon Jul 27 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm UTC-04:00

Sixth & I | Washington

Sixth & I: Talks
Publisher/HostSixth & I: Talks
Colson Whitehead
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Colson Whitehead at Sixth & I
About this Event

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Underground Railroad and two-time Pulitzer winner comes Cool Machine, a novel that brings to life 1980s New York in the final volume of his Harlem Trilogy.

New York City is beginning to emerge from financial decline, energized by real estate development and a Wall Street unchained by Reagan-era predatory capitalism. In Harlem, business owner/master fence Ray Carney has just been named Sterling Furniture’s Dealer of the Month. When the banks won’t give his wife a loan for her new travel agency, Carney gambles on one last heist, and finds himself entangled with Pepper, a legendary criminal mastermind.

Carney has always been haunted by his inability to save his cousin Freddie. Now, twenty years after Freddie’s death, he has a chance to rescue Freddie’s son from the violent forces of the city, but it will mean risking the safety and security he’s spent decades building for his family, with only one shot to get it right. Cool Machine roves all over a city in transition, from Windows on the World to the Meadowlands, to show that in New York, it’s what’s below the surface that reveals the truth.

This program will be a 30-minute lecture by the author, followed by 30 minutes of pre-collected audience questions.

with Politics and Prose Bookstore


Events at Sixth & I

  • Seating is primarily general admission; first-come, first-served. There are some partial view seats on the balcony level. Display screens supplement sightlines.
  • There are a limited number of premium reserved seats on the main level and balcony. Reserved seating is also available to Sixth & I donors at select giving levels.
  • Click here for directions to our historic building.
  • For details about accessible seating and entry, click here.
  • Click here to review our event policies, security procedures, and food and beverage policies.
  • Click here for step-by-step instructions to transfer your ticket to someone else.
  • Click here for step-by-step instructions to transfer your in-person ticket to a virtual ticket.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Sixth & I, 600 I St NW, Washington, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00 to USD 186.50

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