A new exhibit, Pulitzer on the Road: Prize-Winning Works That Inform, Empower & Inspire, opens this October on the 5th floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
Pulitzer on the Road is the public outreach initiative celebrating the work of Pulitzer Prize winners with audiences across the country. The Pulitzer on the Road traveling exhibition, developed in partnership with the American Library Association, will visit 20 public libraries nationwide over the next two years, celebrating all categories through displays, interactive stations and live events. The Chicago Public Library is the first site where the exhibit will open.
Through vividly designed panels, immersive interactive stations and compelling storytelling, Pulitzer on the Road highlights the history and significance of the Pulitzer Prizes; connects new audiences with prize-winners and their work; and promotes the role of journalism, books, drama and music in a democratic society.
Highlights of the exhibition include Pulitzer Prize-winning works such as:
- Iconic photographs from World War II and wars in Vietnam, Ukraine and the Middle East, and of figures such as American presidents and Olympic athletes
- Reporting with national impact on public opinion and policy, such as the Watergate scandal, the Pentagon Papers, as well as from local newspapers across the country
- Works of literature such as poetry by Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost; fiction by Toni Morrison and John Steinbeck; and drama by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Arthur Miller
- Music winners such as Wynton Marsalis, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan
- An interactive station where visitors can view examples of Pulitzer-winning journalism from local and regional media outlets from their home states
Program Dates & Locations
To celebrate the Pulitzer on the Road exhibit and the many prize winners throughout history, join us for a series of programs at Chicago Public Library locations to experience programming for all ages.
Pulitzer-winners on Storytelling and America: Percival Everett, Daniel Kraus, Amanda Vaill, Jon Cherry and Jelani Cobb
Harold Washington Library Center, Winter Garden | Wednesday, October 14 at 6 p.m. (opening program)
Your Story Matters: Storytelling through Word and Art
Harold Washington Library Center, 8th floor | Saturday, October 17 at 10:30 a.m.
Book Discussion: Dogland
South Chicago and Zoom | Sunday, October 18 at 3 p.m.
You Didn't See Nothin: A True Crime Story
Harold Washington Library Center | Thursday, October 22 at 6 p.m.
Pulitzer on the Road: Future Pulitzer Prize Winner, Chicago Style (senior focused)
North Austin | Saturday, October 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Pulitzer On The Road: Future Pulitzer Prize Winner, Chicago Style (teen focused)
Harold Washington Library Center, Reception Hall | Saturday, November 7 at 1 p.m.
"Can You Imagine?" with Tania Leon: A Pulitzer Prize Winning Musician in Person
Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Authors Room | Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m.
When Studs Terkel Interviewed Me: What I Learned from Being Interviewed by the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Master Conversationalist, Featuring Author and Oral Historian Mark Larson
Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Authors Room | Saturday, November 14 at 2 p.m.
Your Story Matters: Storytelling Through Words and Art
Budlong Woods | Monday, November 23 at 6 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center, 5th Floor
Pulitzer on the Road: Prize-Winning Works That Inform, Empower & Inspire will be on display through December 31, 2026.