Michael Lewis in Conversation with David Shipley

Michael Lewis is coming to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Thursday, October 29, for a conversation about his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State. He'll be joined on stage by David Shipley, and the whole evening is presented by Literary Arts.

If you've read any of Lewis's work, you know his thing: taking a specialized, often hidden corner of the world and turning it into a story that's actually readable. Blockers does that with the second Trump administration, told through the eyes of federal public servants who found themselves in the crosshairs of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Lewis follows seven of them—people he calls "Blockers"—and builds the book around their experiences. It's a look at the inner workings of the federal government from the perspective of the people inside it.

Lewis is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with a long list of titles behind him: Liar's Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, The Fifth Risk, The Premonition, and Going Infinite. He also hosts Apple's #1 rated podcast, Against the Rules. He grew up in New Orleans and lives in Berkeley, California.

His conversation partner, David Shipley, is a Portland native and editor-at-large at The New York Times. He's run the opinion sections at The Washington Post and Bloomberg Opinion, and he worked in the Clinton administration as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Presidential Speechwriter. He also co-authored Send, a book about email. The conversation starts at 7:30 PM at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, with tickets ranging from $25 to $99, and a copy of the book included at selected levels.