Fire in the Hole features interviews with expert writers and historians, who couch the labor conflicts of the American West in social and historical context. View their full interview transcripts below.

Katherine Aiken
An assistant professor of history at the University of Idaho, Aiken has written extensively about the social and economic climate of Idaho at the turn of the 20th century.

Thomas G. Alexander
A professor of history at Brigham Young University, Alexander addresses the social and political climate in Utah at the time of the Joe Hill trial.

Lynn R. Bailey
A prolific writer, Bailey has authored more than twenty books on Western history. He directs the Westernlore Press in Tuscon, Arizona.

James W. Byrkit
A professor emeritus at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, Byrkit authored the most detailed political history of the Bisbee Deportation, Forging the Copper Collar.

Jerry Calvert
Chair of the Political Science Department at Montana State University in Bozeman, Calvert has researched early-20th century unions and socialist movements in Butte.

Elizabeth Jameson
A professor of history at the University of Calgary, Jameson offers insights about the Cripple Creek, Colorado conflict and the rise of the Western Federation of Minders.

Boyd Nicholl
A professional photographer based in Bisbee, Arizona, Nicholl also is the curator of photographic history for the Bisbee Mining Museum.

Zeese Papanikolas
Author of Buried Unsung: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre, Papanikolas is also a creative writing professor at the San Francisco Art Institute.

John Sillito
A professor at Weber State University, Sillito explores the trial of Joe Hill in the context of the early labor movement in the West.

Gibbs Smith
A well known figure in publishing circles, Smith wrote a master's thesis on Joe Hill that eventually grew into the best-selling book.

Ron Yengich
A widely recognized Salt Lake City criminal defense attorney, Yengich also teaches a University of Utah honors course on the case of Joe Hill as a study of justice.