FESTIVAL SPEAKERS:

Anna Khachiyan
is a Russian-American cultural critic, writer, and co-host of the podcast Red Scare.

Michael Tracey
is an independent journalist writing for Substack. He has worked with Reason, Vice, and The Young Turks as well as made appearances on Tucker Carlson Tonight. His work has led him to cover major events from the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns to the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests and the 2020 George Floyd riots.

Jack Mason
is a cultural critic and podcaster. He is the host of The Perfume Nationalist podcast and has been a featured guest on Red Scare, The Bret Easton Ellis podcast, and many other shows that operate at the intersection of culture and politics.

Max Blumenthal
is the editor-in-chief of The Grayzone and an award-winning journalist and the author of several books, including best-selling Republican Gomorrah, Goliath, The Fifty One Day War, and The Management of Savagery. He has produced print articles for an array of publications, many video reports, and several documentaries, including Killing Gaza.

Thaddeus Russell
is a historian and the author of A Renegade History of the United States. He is also the host of the interview podcast Unregistered as well as the founder of the alternative education platform Unregistered Academy.

Jenin Younes
is a civil liberties attorney in Washington, DC. She has brought numerous cases challenging COVID related policies, including vaccine mandates and government involvement in social media censorship—that case is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court. She also successfully challenged California’s medical misinformation law, which punished doctors for giving patients advice about COVID that departs from the government’s views, obtaining a preliminary injunction on behalf of California physicians.

Michael Wimer
is a percussionist, drummer, educator, and podcaster based in Bloomington, Indiana. Informed by his study of Afro-Cuban folklore and the history of the New World, he can be seen performing in various musical projects across Indiana as well as performing as an accompanist for dance classes and exhibitions with the Indiana University Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance. He is also the co-host of the weekly news analysis livestream show Unreported.

Dana McCurdy
is a musician, educator, writer, and producer who has been facilitating drum circles in and around Northern New Jersey for several years in an effort to promote community as well as physical, emotional, and spiritual health. He has taught in various capacities at various institutions including New School University, Mannes School of Music, and the Institute of Audio Research. He has an extensive recording career with highlights including programming synthesizers for Chico O’Farrill, Yusef Lateef, and Roberta Flack.