The Speechwriter's Room

Interview: Ezra Zwaeli

For Ezra Zwaeli, poetry not only informs how he writes speeches, but how he approaches life. He joins The Speechwriter's Room for a discussion on what it's like to perform slam poetry, how to make wonky policies relatable in speeches, and how to foster creativity in a hectic work environment. Ezra is the former director of speechwriting for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. In the conversation, Ezra describes the objectives for Mayor Wu’s opening statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2025, which can be found here: https://youtu.be/0i21cliuoXo [https://youtu.be/0i21cliuoXo].

Commencements

In celebration of the Class of 2026, Mary takes a look back on commencement addresses from U.S. leaders that set the country on a new path.  President Lyndon B. Johnson unveiled his plans for “The Great Society” in commencement remarks at the University of Michigan [https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-the-university-michigan]. After 9/11, President George W. Bush spoke at the United States Military Academy [https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbushwestpointcommencement.htm] where he pressed his case for pre-emptive strikes in the war on terror. At American University’s graduation ceremony in 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech entitled “A Strategy of Peace.” [https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/american-university-19630610]  Mary takes a deeper dive into the stories behind two specific commencement addresses. First, she discusses President Roosevelt’s remarks at the University of Virginia’s commencement in 1940 [https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-university-virginia], including the influence that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had on the final draft. In that speech, FDR announced that the United States would be delivering additional aid to Great Britain and the Allies.   The episode concludes with Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s remarks at Harvard University [https://www.marshallfoundation.org/the-marshall-plan/speech/] in 1947. In this speech, he announced the Marshall Plan for Europe.  Additional sources for this episode:  No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II [https://books.google.com/books?id=wQcMDdFC1QEC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=%22more+powerful+and+more+determined+than+any+he+had+delivered%22&source=bl&ots=VVg2rvkDHM&sig=1rj8vVZKXl-9vnZIC8sK2rJWrM4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Yc61UfazFsqE0QGjxoGQAw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22more%20powerful%20and%20more%20determined%20than%20any%20he%20had%20delivered%22&f=false] by Doris Kearns Goodwin  https://fdrlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/found-in-the-archives-6/ [https://fdrlibrary.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/found-in-the-archives-6/] https://uvamagazine.org/articles/the_hand_that_held_the_dagger [https://uvamagazine.org/articles/the_hand_that_held_the_dagger] https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html [https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.html [https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.html] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.speech.html [https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1997/05/marshall.speech.html]

Interview: Outtakes

In this episode, Mary shares outtakes of her interviews with speechwriters Ashley Mitchell, Ken Sofer, and Felicia Salazar, all of which center on storytelling. Ashley Mitchell describes one of the most important aspects of telling a story. The full version of President Barack Obama's campaign speech that Ashley references is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MjccRjErQw [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MjccRjErQw] Ken Sofer of New Colossus Advisers [https://www.newcolossusadvisors.com/author/ken/] introduces a metaphor for how to build a narrative for an organization. Ken posts videos and insights on foreign policy, advocacy, and communications on his LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kensofer/]. Former Presidential speechwriter Felicia Salazar talks about how she captures leaders' voices through their stories. Felicia is currently the Deputy Campaign Manager for Deb Haaland as she runs for Governor of New Mexico [https://debhaaland.com/]. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit: https://storiedcommunications.com/ [https://storiedcommunications.com/]

Musicals

It turns out that musical theater can be a training ground for speechwriting techniques. In this episode, Mary explores the ways that musicals make emotional appeals, showcase character, and hit the final note -- all of which directly apply to the best speeches. To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit https://www.storiedcommunications.com/ [https://www.storiedcommunications.com/]

Interview: Hartley Voss

This episode of The Speechwriter's Room features Hartley Voss, the chief speechwriter for the Democratic staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Before Hartley embarked on his path in speechwriting, he had built a career in Hollywood, writing on television shows like Mad Men and Orange is the New Black. Hartley and Mary talk about the similarities between the working environments of Hollywood and Washington and their experience resolving disagreements during a speechwriting process. They also take a look at what is arguably the most famous speech from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) https://www.c-span.org/clip/house-proceeding/dick-durbin-floor-speech-on-baseball-bats/4504704 [https://www.c-span.org/clip/house-proceeding/dick-durbin-floor-speech-on-baseball-bats/4504704] "Bob and Eric's book" refers to the Political Speechwriter's Companion: https://collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/the-political-speechwriters-companion-2-257507 [https://collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/the-political-speechwriters-companion-2-257507] In the episode, Hartley recommends Pam Douglas's book on writing and producing for television: https://mwp.com/product/writing-the-tv-drama-series-how-to-succeed-as-a-professional-writer-in-tv-4th-edition/ [https://mwp.com/product/writing-the-tv-drama-series-how-to-succeed-as-a-professional-writer-in-tv-4th-edition/] And Secret Stairs: https://secretstairs-la.com/ [https://secretstairs-la.com/] To learn more about Mary Robbins, visit storiedcommunications.com [http://storiedcommunications.com]