Judah Can't Tell
Cal Hoffman presents *Judah Can’t Tell*, a politically charged novel about Harris Belkind, a journalist, husband, and father whose carefully ordered life is disrupted when his powerful U.S. senator father is accused of a long-buried sexual scandal. As the story unfolds over a single consequential day, Harris confronts memories of political ambition, parental absence, and the ways his father’s public ideals have shaped his private life.
The novel examines power, consent, masculinity, family loyalty, moral inheritance, and the obligations people have to one another when truth threatens to destroy the people they love. Hoffman will discuss the book with actor Harry Lennix. The event is part of Politics and Prose’s Fiction & Poetry programming.
When: Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Tickets: Free admission, with first-come, first-served seating.
Conversation: Cal Hoffman will be joined by Harry Lennix.
About Cal Hoffman: Hoffman is the author of the acclaimed debut novel *Easy to Slip*. He graduated from Catholic University, studied at London’s Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and completed the MFA Fiction Writing Program at Columbia University. He has taught English and creative writing and has also acted in regional theater around the country, including a starring role in the New York revival of Jules Feiffer’s *Elliot Loves*. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Victoria Leacock Hoffman, and their son, Harry.
About Harry Lennix: Lennix is an actor known for work in theater, film, and television. He played Harold Cooper for ten seasons on NBC’s *The Blacklist* and has appeared in *Man of Steel*, *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice*, *Justice League*, *The Matrix Reloaded*, *The Matrix Revolutions*, *Ray*, and *The Five Heartbeats*. His television credits also include Showtime’s portrayal of Congressman Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and a recurring role on *Billions*.
Harry Lennix’s theater background: Lennix made his Broadway debut in August Wilson’s *Radio Golf*, in a role written specifically for him. His other work with Wilson includes *King Hedley II* at Los Angeles’s Mark Taper Forum and Levee Green in *Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom* at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, for which he received the Joseph Jefferson Award. In 2025, he received a Tony Award nomination for playing Solomon “Sonny” Jasper in the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play *Purpose*. He is scheduled to return to that role at Los Angeles’s Geffen Playhouse in November.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask accessibility questions, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The venue will make an effort to accommodate requests received up to the start of the event.
Related book: *Judah Can’t Tell* is available for preorder as a $30 hardcover. Its listed publication date is November 10, 2026.