Phillip B. Williams
Picador Guest Professor in the summer semester of 2025
Phillip B. Williams is a Chicago, Illinois native and currently on tour with his new novel, OURS, published by Penguin/Viking in 2024, which were translated and published in the same year to German at S.Fischer Verlag. He is the author of two collections of poetry: Thief in the Interior (ALICE JAMES BOOKS, 2016), which was the winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and a Lambda Literary Award, and Mutiny (Penguin Books, 2021), which was a finalist for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection and the winner of a 2022 American Book Award. Williams is also the recipient of a Whiting Award and fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches at NYU Creative Writing MFA and Randolph College low-res MFA.
Phillip will tour around in Germany and read from his current novel “Ours” while he is here as a #PicadorProf. You can catch him on official Picador-Events in Leipzig at Literaturhaus Leipzig, June 17, and in Berlin at LCB, July 8.
Talk with the Artist: Freedom, Ancestry & Care
Writing can be an act of care – care for the words we choose, the histories they carry, and the people they touch. Phillip B. Williams connects ancestry and freedom in his work, while building new paths on old grounds.
His newest novel OURS, set in the 1830s, unfolds in a fictional Southern U.S. city. A place shielded by magic that becomes a sanctuary for the formerly enslaved – a refuge built on resilience, hope, and the power of community. Here writing becomes a tool for breaking free from limitations, enabling the author to craft a story that is rooted in history while also reimagining the past in a meaningful way.
This creative process extends beyond personal exploration, inviting readers to reflect on their own heritage and recognize their connection to the world around them.
Let’s dive into the transformative power of poetry and explore how these themes shape the creative process.
The Picador Guest Professorship is brought to you by Uni Leipzig, DAAD Artist Program, Picador and Holtzbrinck Berlin. This Event is a cooperation with EDIT Magazine and Literaturhaus Leipzig.
When: June 17, 7 PM
Where: Garden of Literaturhaus Leipzig 🌳💜
Admission free! Save your ticket soon!
On «Resilience, Protection & Soul»
Don’t miss this summer evening at Wannsee with the current Picador Guest Professor: acclaimed U.S. author Phillip B. Williams. Under the open sky, engage in a thought-provoking conversation about »OURS«, Phillip’s debut novel. Natasha A. Kelly will host the evening, guiding the discussion through time, history, and the art of building a new world. This event is part of ›Paradigmenwechsel‹, her series that delves into tipping points in both the past and present, exploring the opportunities that emerge from adopting new ways of thinking.
The conversation will explore the delicate balance between protection and reinvention—how one can honor the history of their ancestors while reshaping their narratives to reveal their true resilience.
When: July 8 – 7:30 PM
Where: LCB
