Anthony Arnove
Anthony Arnove carries the torch of A People’s History of the United States.
Anthony Arnove is a historian, editor, activist, and continuator of A People’s History of the United States.
Anthony Arnove brings the work of Howard Zinn to life on the stage and screen. He wrote, produced, and directed the acclaimed documentary The People Speak, and curated and directed a series of collaborative, multidisciplinary performances, Voices of a People’s History, in partnership with Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sundance Film Festival, among many other arts presenters.
Anthony produced the Academy Award–nominated documentary Dirty Wars, which investigates US involvement in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia for the so-called “War on Terror.” A scholar of US-backed conflict in the Middle East, Anthony is the author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal, exposing the argument that American military intervention brings not democracy, but instability at home and abroad. Anthony’s latest book, edited with Haley Pessin, is Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the Twenty-First Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance–a groundbreaking historical document collecting essays on movements from Occupy, Black Lives Matter, to future of the antiwar movements and union organizing. An inspiring and kaleidoscopic collection, Voices proves how our world is still being shaped by activists today.
Anthony was named one of the Frederick Douglass 200, “a project to honor the impact of 200 living individuals who best embody the work and spirit of Douglass” today. He has a PhD and MA from Brown University, where he studied in the Modern Culture and Media Program, and a BA from Oberlin College studying English and Religion.
A dedicated literary organizer, Anthony is the founder of Roam Agency, where he represents authors such as Arundhati Roy and Noam Chomsky. In 2002, Anthony helped launch the nonprofit publisher Haymarket Books.
Anthony lives in Hopewell, New Jersey.
Not only a skilled moderator and workshop facilitator, Anthony is passionate about producing multidisciplinary artistic performances that showcase every day people’s ability to change history – ask him to curate a performance of Voices in your city.
“Howard Zinn challenged us to see history as near and everyday; Anthony Arnove and Haley Pessin now tenderly extend this proximity. Their collection helps us to see the ordinary extraordinariness in people around us: the world-making of our very own time.”
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker
Azura Says
“Anthony lets me see beyond the horizon into what the world could be. He’s a well of historical knowledge and organizing, and he’s also just the kindest, most down to earth guy you’ll meet.”
Expertise
- Speaker on the history of social justice and antiwar movements through the lens of A People’s History of the United States
- Working within independent media through publishing and documentary filmmaking
- Curates unique retellings history through performance
Video Highlight
“This is not a fancy performance–there's no blocking or staging or set design–it was just a microphone and some music stands and chairs on a stage. But, it was so powerful to be in a room hearing how these voices from the past spoke to the present. Hearing them in a collective setting made it feel so immediate and so alive, and reminded us that we're constantly a part of history and the making of history, and that when we speak up and when we get together and organize collectively, we can change history.” —Anthony Arnove on performances of Voices of a People’s History, Democracy Now!