U.S. History

Smoking Typewriters: The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America

John McMillian

About the Program

Historian John McMillian recounts the underground newspapers of the 1960s and their affect on the political movements of their time.  The author profiles many of the publications, including the Los Angeles Free Press, Berkeley Barb, East Village Other, and Rag (Austin, Texas) and recalls the reportage that marked each paper.  According to Mr. McMillian the FBI began monitoring underground newspapers in 1968 and placed many obstacles in the way of their continued publication.  John McMillian discusses his book at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.

About the Authors

John McMillian

John McMillian is an assistant history professor at Georgia State University.  He is the co-editor of Protest Nation, The New Left Revisited, and The Radical Reader.  For more information, visit johnmcmillian.com.


Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Program Information

Smoking Typewriters: The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America

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Past Airings

  • Sunday, April 3rd at 4:10pm (ET)
  • Saturday, March 26th at 8pm (ET)
  • Sunday, March 20th at 8pm (ET)
  • Sunday, March 20th at 7am (ET)
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