Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes is a writer on U.S. and global politics. A contributor to the New York Times and MSNOW, and co-host of Pod Save the World, Ben has authored two New York Times bestsellers - After the Fall and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. His latest book, All We Say, is a sweeping look at the battle over American identity and the questions, “What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide?” through reflections on landmark speeches in American history.  Rhodes previously served as speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama. On June 9, 2026, Ben Rhodes came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to be interviewed on stage by Jelani Cobb, an acclaimed historian, staff writer at the New Yorker, and Dean of Columbia Journalism School. 

This week, our guest is Boots Riley, an Oakland-based filmmaker and founding member of the seminal hip hop group, The Coup. Like his music, Riley’s films are politically charged, tackling subjects like capitalism, racism, and class. His debut film, Sorry to Bother You and television series I’m A Virgo showcased a surrealist style, sci-fi tropes and comedy. His hyperkinetic energy is on display again with his newest movie, I Love Boosters. The all-star cast features Demi Moore, Keke Palmer and LaKeith Stanfield. On May 28, 2026, Boots Riley came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater to talk to Alexis Madrigal about his art and activism. The evening was co-presented with KQED.  Join us now for a conversation with Boots Riley. 

NOTE: This is a PODCAST-ONLY program - the titles and contents of Adam Mansbach's books have NOT been bleeped!  Adam Mansbach is a novelist, screenwriter, humorist, and cultural critic, as well as the author of the “children’s books” Go the F*** to Sleep and You Have to F***king Eat, and F***, Now There Are Two of You. His other books include Rage Is Back, The End of the Jews, and Angry Black White Boy.  His latest book - written as the child who did not want to go to sleep prepares to leave the nest - is Go the F*** to College.Sociopolitical comedian  W. Kamau Bell is the host and executive producer of the CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell and author of The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6′ 4″, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian.On May 12, 2026, the two came to the studios of KQED to discuss Mansbach's latest book - Go the F*** to College - written as his eldest child prepares to leave the nest.

This week, a conversation about children’s literature with author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen. Barnett is National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the author of numerous children's books including “Sam and Dave Dig a Hole” and “Extra Yarn”.Jon Klassen worked on films like Kung Fu Panda and Coraline, before he decided to create books, like the best-selling Hat Trilogy. Klassen and Barnet are collaborators on the animated series Shape Island and the popular substack newsletter “Looking at Picture Books.” On May 14, 2026, the two creatives came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater to talk about the world of children’s literature. It’s the subject of Barnett’s newest book – this time, for adults. It’s called Make Believe: Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children.

This week, our guest is Jeff Hiller. The veteran comedian and actor is hardly a newcomer, but it’s his recent role on the television series Somebody Somewhere that has finally brought him widespread recognition. In 2025, he earned an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for that performance. Hiller talks about the journey in his memoir, Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success.  Fans have appreciated his captivating and heartfelt humor for decades at stand-up shows; in theater performances including Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Tempest, and most recently the 2025 revival of Urinetown; and on television series like 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Community.On May 8, 2026, Hiller came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to Poulomi Saha about comedy, friendship, and success.  Saha is an English professor and the Co-Director of the Program in Critical Theory at UC Berkeley.  The evening was co-presented with San Francisco Public Library and a supporting non-profit, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Demis Hassabis is an artificial intelligence researcher, scientist, and entrepreneur.  In 2010, he co-founded DeepMind, an AI research lab which is now part of Google. In 2024, Hassabis won a Nobel Prize for using AI to predict the 3D structure of proteins, critical for disease understanding and drug discovery.  He was also awarded a knighthood that year by King Charles III.On April 20, 2026, Sir Demis Hassabis came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk with author Sebastian Mallaby, who recently published a book about Hassabis’s work, The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence.  The two were interviewed on stage by journalist Emily Chang.

Rabbi Sharon Brous is a leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America. She is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles.  Brous’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.  Her new book is The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend our Broken Hearts and World. On April 23, 2026, Sharon Brous came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an on-stage conversation with john a. powell, another scholar helping forge connections across political, spiritual, and cultural differences.  Powell is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute and a Professor of Law and Professor of African American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. His most recent book is The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong.

Ada Limón’s poems expertly combine brilliant observations of our complex world with a tender sincerity. As a two-term Poet Laureate of the United States, Limón focused on using poetry to connect us more strongly with the natural world. She is the author of seven books of poetry, including Startlement: New & Selected Poems; The Hurting Kind, The Carrying; and Bright Dead Things.  Her newest book, Against Breaking, is an expanded version of her final talk as Poet Laureate - and a celebration of poetry’s ability to heal and connect us. Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a MacArthur Fellowship. Limón was raised in Sonoma, California.  On April 14, 2026, Ada Limon came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco for an on-stage conversation with KQED host Alexis Madrigal, which was a co-presentation with Litquake.

This week, we’ve gone back into the City Arts & Lectures archives for a 2009 interview with the late conductor, composer, and pianist Michael Tilson Thomas. Tilson Thomas was the music director and conductor of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020 - and stayed active as its music director emeritus until the last year of his life. He was known as a champion of contemporary American music - and an innovator in presenting symphonic music - even collaborating with heavy metal band Metallica. He received 12 Grammy Awards for the San Francisco Symphony’s recordings of Mahler, Prokofiev,  Stravinsky, and John Adams.  In June of 2008 - Michael Tilson Thomas presented “The Thomashevskys - Music and Memories of a Life in the Jewish Theater” at Davies Symphony Hall.  This multimedia performance celebrated the life and work of his grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashevsky. He shares some of those stories in this program.  We’ll also hear him talk with culture critic Steven Winn about “Keeping Score” the PBS documentary series which he created and hosted...and about his work with the New World Symphony in Miami. In the years since this program was recorded on January 6, 2009 - Michael Tilson Thomas continued to lead the San Francisco Symphony - and guest conduct orchestras all over the world.  In 2021, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer - but continued to work and travel - and was able to take the podium at his 80th birthday celebration in 2025.  Michael Tilson Thomas died at his home in San Francisco on April 22, 2026. 

Emma Straub plays many roles as a leader in the literary world: independent bookstore owner, award-winning novelist, and children’s book author, to name a few. Straub is a Guggenheim Fellow, a New York Times best-seller, and the owner of Brooklyn’s Books Are Magic, where she helps celebrate our vibrant literary world through countless readings and events.Straub’s new novel, American Fantasy, has been named one of the most anticipated books by Time, The New York Times, People, and Harper’s Bazaar. Set on a nineties-boy-band-themed cruise, Straub’s characters explore the intersections of aging, nostalgia, memory, and possibility, creating a hilarious, intimate portrait of the surprises and reawakenings that life can provide.On April 11, 2026, Emma Straub came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk on stage with Ayelet Waldman. Waldman is the author of A Really Good Day, My Marriage, and the essay collection Bad Mother. Her new novel A Perfect Hand will be published in May. She was one of the creators of the Netflix show Unbelievable, and was an executive producer for the show Star Trek: Picard.