How has one song stunned for nearly a century? How was it so powerful that the federal government targeted the singer for decades? And what can we learn from the story of “Strange Fruit” and Billie Holiday about how art is resistance?

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at RebelYellCreative.com.

_____

Watch the performance of "Strange Fruit" from 1956, mentioned in this episode.

Get full episode transcript and sources at RebelYellCreative.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

Rebel Yell Creative

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at Rebel Yell Creative.com. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and get a free creative workbook!

Season 2 is coming Monday, January 12! New episodes will premiere every other week.

Mentioned in this episode:

Creative tools and support for 2026: Sign up at RebelYellCreative.com to learn about all the ways you can make dangerous, powerful art this year!

1. Make your podcast in 2026: 9-week email course
2. Expand your art: Art School for Adults
3. Be a neurodivergent artivist: How to be an Autivist workbook
4. Get everything! Art Lab Memberships

Books and more from Amy Lee Lillard: Start the year with new fiction, nonfiction, audio fiction, and music!

1. Story collections: Exile in Guyville and Dig Me Out
2. Memoir: A Grotesque Animal
3. Novels: A Woman is a God and Not a Stitch to Wear
4. Audio fiction: Wyrd Woman podcast
5. Music: Nuclear Shadow

In this bonus series we're looking at modern artists using art as a tool of resistance. Today: Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey. Connect with Caleb at TheNegroArtist.com

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

Subscribe at rebelyellcreative.com to learn more about making art as resistance. And buy us a coffee to keep the show going!

Mentioned in this episode:

Rebel Yell Creative

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at Rebel Yell Creative.com. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and get a free creative workbook!

Performing the Revolution comes from the team at Radical Evolution. Check out the first episode here, then listen to the full four-episode series in your favorite podcast player.

In this episode: Meet Jana Natya Manch aka Janam, one of India's storied street theatre companies. We follow their journey from one of their most crucial, catalyzing and tragic moments in the 1980's, all the way through to the work they make today.

Learn more about the show!

And big thanks to Remoy Phillip and Meropi Peponides for reaching out, and for creating this wonderful show!

_____

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

In this bonus series we're looking at modern artists using art as a tool of resistance. Today: Chuy Renteria. Connect with Chuy at chuyrenteria.bsky.social and Little Village magazine.

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

Subscribe at rebelyellcreative.com to learn more about making art as resistance. And buy us a coffee to keep the show going!

Mentioned in this episode:

Rebel Yell Creative

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at Rebel Yell Creative.com. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and get a free creative workbook!

This is a special bonus episode of The Art of Resistance, focusing on modern artists creating writing, music, and more to resist the status quo.

What can we learn from the story of Nan Goldin and Prescription Addiction Intervention Now, or P.A.I.N., about how to make art as resistance today and tomorrow?

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

Subscribe at rebelyellcreative.com to learn more about making art as resistance. And buy us a coffee to keep the show going!

Mentioned in this episode:

Rebel Yell Creative

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at Rebel Yell Creative.com. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and get a free creative workbook!

Let's wrap up Season 1, and look ahead to what's next! Featuring special appearances by the podcats: Ziggy Stardust, Winona Ryder, and Louise.

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

Subscribe at rebelyellcreative.com to learn more about making art as resistance. And buy us a coffee to keep the show going!

How did ancient and primal fears provide the perfect imagery for women’s rights? How did radical feminists use theater and artistic play to channel their anger and make an impact? And what can we learn from the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, or W.I.T.C.H., about how to make art as resistance today and tomorrow?

This is The Art of Resistance, a podcast about using writing, music, and all kinds of art to resist the status quo. The show is made by Rebel Yell Creative and Amy Lee Lillard.

Subscribe at rebelyellcreative.com to learn more about making art as resistance. And buy us a coffee to keep the show going!

Mentioned in this episode:

Rebel Yell Creative

To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at Rebel Yell Creative.com. Sign up for the weekly newsletter and get a free creative workbook!