Patricia Kullberg hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
The Palestinian Exception: Denise Morris speaks with Jan Haaken and Jennifer Ruth about their new documentary, The Palestinian Exception.
Palestinian Novel: What role might be played in political struggle by cultural creations? A new novel, Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, raises this question doubly: both as a novel set in current struggles and in the story it recounts about the contested effort to mount a theatre production in Palestine’s West Bank. With some help from Shakespeare, Norm Diamond reviews the novel.
In Tribute to Joe Hill: Joe Hill was a beloved member of the IWW, a songwriter and activist who is known for such labor classics as “The Preacher and the Slave,” “There is Power in a Union,” and “Rebel Girl.” In 1914 he was convicted of a murder the evidence suggests he did not commit. Tomorrow marks the 110th anniversary of his execution by the State of Utah, despite an international campaign to spare his life. On the eve of his execution Hill called out to his fellow activists: Don’t waste time mourning. Organize!” The Mole brings you the Ballad of Joe Hill, written and performed by Phil Ochs, who was a songwriter and activist in the tradition of Joe Hill.