Poets of the Podium: The Art of Speechwriting
Speechwriters and a poet laureate talk with Poetry Foundation President Henry Bienen about the writing process in the age of constant communication and short attention spans.
About This Event
Campaign rallies, inaugural addresses, States of the Union, declarations of war: presidential speeches have provided defining moments in the United States’ history. In most cases, addresses to the nation are delicately crafted, behind the scenes, by expert speechwriters. Through the careful selection of words, and by skillfully employing the rhythm and sound of language, these poets of the podium allow the nation’s leaders to reassure and mobilize the public, through the power of the spoken word. What are the ingredients, and what is the process, for developing a major speech? In the age of social media, with constant communications and short attention spans, does political oratory still resonate as it once did?
About the Speakers
David Litt
Speechwriter
Former Speechwriter to President Barack Obama; Author; Writer and Producer, Funny or Die
Mary Kate Cary
Speechwriter
Former Speechwriter to President George H. W. Bush
Robert Pinksy
Former US Poet Laureate
William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, Boston University
Henry S. Bienen
Council Board Member
President Emeritus, Northwestern University and President, Poetry Foundation