David Litt, a former White House speechwriter and bestselling author, will speak at Yale on Thursday, April 5 as a Poynter Fellow in Journalism.
Litt’s talk, co-sponsored by the Traphagen Alumni Speakers Series of the Yale College Office of Student Affairs, will take place at 6 p.m. in the Branford College Common Room, 74 High St. The event is free and open to the public.
David Litt: ‘Don’t Take Off Your Pants in the Air Force One Coat Closet (and Other Things I Learned Writing Obama’s Speeches)’
Litt served as a speechwriter to President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2016, and he is currently the head writer/producer for the Washington, D.C. office of “Funny or Die,” the comedy video website. His bestselling memoir “Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years” was published last year.
A 2008 graduate of Yale College, Litt entered the White House as a speechwriter to presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett in 2011. Later, he became a speechwriter to President Obama, and was the lead writer for four White House Correspondents’ Association dinner presentations.
The Poynter Fellowship in Journalism was established by Nelson Poynter, who received his master’s degree in 1927 from Yale. The fellowship brings to campus distinguished reporters, editors and others who have made important contributions to the media. Among recent Poynter fellows are Emma Allen, Brian Fallon, and Daniel Mallory Ortberg.
