KPFA Co-Presents Dave Zirin on The People's Historian, Howard Zinn

Dave Zirin talks Howard Zinn in Oakland

Thursday, October 8, Local Economy hosts a thoughtful evening for readers, history heads, KPFA listeners, and anyone who likes a good public conversation.

Dave Zirin, columnist at The Nation, will be in Oakland for his new book, The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn. The book looks at the life and work of Howard Zinn, whose A People’s History of the United States gave a lot of people a new way to read American history.

He will be joined by Davey D, journalist, hip hop historian, and host of Hard Knock Radio on KPFA. That pairing should make for a sharp talk. Zirin brings the research and political lens. Davey D brings the Bay Area radio rhythm and a deep sense of culture, media, and movement history.

Local Economy is a good fit for this kind of event. It has that Oakland room feel where people come to listen, ask questions, and stay a minute after the program ends. No big stage needed. Just a mic, a book, and a room full of people who care about ideas.

East Bay Booksellers will be there with copies of the book, so you can pick one up on site. KPFA is also part of the evening, which gives the whole thing a familiar local public radio feel.

When: Thursday, October 8, 2026, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Where: Local Economy, Oakland, California

If Zinn shaped how you think about history, or if you have only heard the name and want to know why he still matters, this is a good one to put on the calendar.

KPFA co-presents this evening celebrating the publication of The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn, by Dave Zirin, a columnist at The Nation.
The new book examines the life and work of the iconic radical historian Howard Zinn, whose bestselling work, A People’s History of the United States, changed the way Americans saw the past.
Despite its conservative critics, Zinn’s book changed the way that history is taught, as the New York Times admitted that it “left its mark for the better on many an American textbook written since.”
Zirin will be joined at Local Economy by Davey D, journalist, hip hop historian, and host of Hard Knock Radio on KPFA.
And of course, we’re co-hosting this one with East Bay Booksellers, who will be selling The People’s Historian.