The Popular Wobbly: Selected Writings of T-Bone Slim

Published by the University of Minnesota Press

A sharp, witty, and critical voice in the labor movement of the 1920s to 1940s, T-Bone Slim—born Matti Valentinpoika Huhta—has largely faded from public memory. A columnist, humorist, musician, poet, hobo, and outspoken member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Slim was once known as “the laureate of the logging camps.” His writing, steeped in radical labor activism and working-class culture, appeared frequently in IWW publications, including the Little Red Songbook. His songs have been covered by influential artists like Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, and Candie Carawan. Though his influence waned after his death, Slim’s voice is now being rediscovered through a compelling new collection.

The Popular Wobbly: Selected Writings of T-Bone Slim gathers Slim’s poems, songs, columns, witticisms, and more. Curated and edited by historians Owen Clayton and Lain McIntyre, the book includes a brief biography, photographs, and Slim’s original illustrations. As the editors trace Slim’s life, travels, and occupations, they illuminate the worldview of a man who published over a thousand pieces during his lifetime. Their careful selection highlights the writings most resonant and relevant to contemporary readers.

The volume is an especially timely read, a poignant reminder that injustice, class divisions, and ethnic strife are longstanding and enduring issues among America's workforce. The themes highlighted in the book range from capitalism to war, from race to immigration, from food insecurity and incarceration. The precarious lives of migrant workers feature prominently in the collection. Often using humor to confront grim realities, Slim’s commentary remains strikingly relevant today. His work offers a vivid window into American labor history and the enduring fight for workers’ rights. As he wrote in a 1922 column titled “The Power of These Two Hands,” “The construction worker has made millionaires coast to coast…”