Jon Favreau joins author Ben Rhodes tonight at Writers Bloc in Los Angeles for a conversation about Rhodes’ new book, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity, A History in 15 Speeches, which traces 250 years of American history through pivotal speeches.
The event takes place at 7:30 PM at The Ebell of Los Angeles, located at 741 South Lucerne Boulevard. Favreau, the former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama, will discuss Rhodes’ work, which examines how Americans have fought a battle over national identity through rhetoric spanning from the nation’s founding to the present day.
Rhodes’ book draws from speeches by figures including Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Maria Stewart, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King Jr., analyzing how rhetoric has crystallized both the nation’s highest ideals and its deepest extremism. The work was published in May 2026 and has become a New York Times bestseller.
Favreau served as Obama’s chief speechwriter from 2009 to 2013 and is now a co-founder of Crooked Media, the influential media company that produces the landmark political podcast Pod Save America. He has become a prominent political commentator and podcaster in the years since leaving the White House.
Rhodes, who worked for Obama during his presidential campaign and served as Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting, has become a frequent commentator on NBC and MSNBC. He is also the co-host of Crooked Media’s Pod Save the World, the sister podcast to Favreau’s Pod Save America.
The Writers Bloc series, which has celebrated 30 years of great conversation in Los Angeles, regularly brings together political figures, authors, and commentators for in-depth discussions. Tonight’s event continues that tradition by pairing two former Obama aides for a discussion of how American identity has been shaped by the words of its leaders and movements.
Sources
- The Ebell of Los Angeles — event details, date, time, location, and speaker biographies
- Barnes & Noble — book publication date and bestseller status
- Crooked Media — Favreau’s role as co-founder and co-host of Pod Save America
- Wikipedia — Favreau’s background as Obama speechwriter and Crooked Media founder
