Robert Reich on Writing

We had the pleasure of hosting Professor Robert Reich for our second annual Art of Writing Lecture on February 23, 2017.

The event began with Professor Reich filming his daily Resistance Report on Facebook live, which, in a deviation from the Report’s usual monologue format, included him taking numerous questions about the current political climate from the 150 undergraduate students in the audience. After the Report, however, Professor Reich switched gears a little, chatting with Art of Writing Director Ramona Naddaff about his practices as a writer.

The former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, a prolific political commentator, and professor of over 700 students in his popular Wealth and Poverty course alone at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, Reich is also the author of fourteen books and several plays, and has been a contributing editor at periodicals such as The New RepublicThe AtlanticThe New York TimesThe Wall Street Journal, The American Prospect (which he co-founded), and the Harvard Business Review. 

Speaking with Prof. Naddaff, Reich shared his reflections on everything from the importance of returning to first drafts, his reluctant embrace of social media, and the passion (and rage) that fuels his deeply felt need to write.

You can watch the whole conversation below: