Pulitzer Prize-winning author to speak at Miami U. Hamilton Thursday

Kai Bird won the Pulitzer Prize on co-authored biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
FILE - In this April 17, 2006, file photo, co-authors Kai Bird, left, and Martin J. Sherwin, right, hold a copy of the book they wrote "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," in Washington. Sherwin, a leading scholar of atomic weapons who in “A World Destroyed” challenged support for the U.S. bombing of Japan and spent more than two decades researching the pioneering physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus,” has died at age 84. Sherwin died Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, at his home in Washington, D.C., according to his friend Andrew Hartman, a professor of history at Illinois State University. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta

Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta

FILE - In this April 17, 2006, file photo, co-authors Kai Bird, left, and Martin J. Sherwin, right, hold a copy of the book they wrote "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," in Washington. Sherwin, a leading scholar of atomic weapons who in “A World Destroyed” challenged support for the U.S. bombing of Japan and spent more than two decades researching the pioneering physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus,” has died at age 84. Sherwin died Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, at his home in Washington, D.C., according to his friend Andrew Hartman, a professor of history at Illinois State University. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
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The Michael J. Colligan History Project at Miami University Regionals in Hamilton is hosting Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird for the 2025 John E. Dolibois History Prize Lecture.

Bird won the Pulitzer with co-author Martin J. Sherwin on their biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” This book explores the life of the physicist often referred to as the father of the atomic bomb and inspired the 2023 film “Oppenheimer,” the winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

“What I love most about this series is not just that it brings nationally known historians to our community — but also that it brings folks under one roof to reflect on the shared experience of our past,” said Matthew Smith, Miami University’s Regional director of Public Programming.​

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The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday in Parrish Auditorium, 1601 University Blvd. in Hamilton.

Bird’s lecture is a timely backdrop, Smith said, with the “the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the dawn of the Cold War.”

The Michael J. Colligan History Project was established in 2000 and is a collaborative initiative between the Michael J. Colligan Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation and Miami University Regionals. For the past 25 years, the project has brought nearly 200 programs and events to the community, reinforcing its commitment to deepening historical understanding

“I can think of no other college campus of our size, nor any other city the size of Hamilton, boasting a comparable success story in history programming,” Smith said.

This free event is open to the public, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Those interested in attending can RSVP at miamioh.edu/regionals/rsvp.

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Michael D. Pitman has been a reporter in southwest Ohio since 1999. He's covered local governments in Warren and Butler counties, as well as state and national issues. He currently covers the cities of Fairfield and Hamilton.