

Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff
Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
As long as there’s been oppression, there’ve been people fighting it. This weekly podcast dives into history to drag up the wildest rebels, the most beautiful revolts, and all the people who long to be—and fight to be—free. It explores complex stories of resistance that offer lessons and inspiration for us today, focusing on the ensemble casts that make up each act of history. That is to say, this podcast focuses on Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 30, 2025 • 46min
CZM Rewind: The Japanese Anarchists Part Two
We're once again joined by Margaret Killjoy, host of the new podcast Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, to talk about the history of anarchism in Japan. Original Air Date: 4.29.22 on It Could Happen HereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 28, 2025 • 52min
CZM Rewind: The Japanese Anarchists Part 1
We're joined by Margaret Killjoy, host of the new podcast Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff, to talk about the history of anarchism in Japan. Original Air Date: 4.28.22 on It Could Happen HereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 27, 2025 • 31min
CZM Book Club: How to Live Like the World is Ending by Margaret Killoy
Margaret reads you an essay about how to think about living during what feels like apocalyptic times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 23, 2025 • 59min
Part Two: Street Medics: The People Who Wash Pepperspray Out of Your Eyes
Margaret talks to Kaveh Hoda about the decentralized medical infrastructure that keeps protesters safe. Sources: non-public training documents provided by a street medic friendhttps://www.bu.edu/bostonia/fall10/street-medic/street-medic.pdfhttp://web.archive.org/web/20250220125506/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5024403/http://web.archive.org/web/20241028174039/https://massleague.org/CHC/History.phphttps://web.archive.org/web/20250212163349/https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/medical-committee-human-rights/2014-09 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/health/h-jack-geiger-dead.html https://medium.com/@Hesperian/care-for-where-there-is-no-justice-the-modern-history-of-street-medics-and-how-they-support-social-a02e940523d4https://www.fifthestate.org/archive/416-spring-2025/the-praxis-of-street-medics/ https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kupdf.net_street-medic-handbook.pdfhttps://tabpres.org/the-flying-black-medics/https://web.archive.org/web/20071220215141/http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multipage/documents/02704493.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 21, 2025 • 56min
Part One: Street Medics: The People Who Wash Pepperspray Out of Your Eyes
Margaret talks to Kaveh Hoda about the decentralized medical infrastructure that keeps protesters safe. Sources: https://www.bu.edu/bostonia/fall10/street-medic/street-medic.pdf http://web.archive.org/web/20250220125506/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5024403/ http://web.archive.org/web/20241028174039/ https://massleague.org/CHC/History.php https://web.archive.org/web/20250212163349/ https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/medical-committee-human-rights/2014-09 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/health/h-jack-geiger-dead.html https://medium.com/@Hesperian/care-for-where-there-is-no-justice-the-modern-history-of-street-medics-and-how-they-support-social-a02e940523d4 https://www.fifthestate.org/archive/416-spring-2025/the-praxis-of-street-medics/ https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/kupdf.net_street-medic-handbook.pdf https://tabpres.org/the-flying-black-medics/ https://web.archive.org/web/20071220215141/ http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multipage/documents/02704493.htm https://archive.org/stream/street-medic-guide-paper-revolution-collective-See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 20, 2025 • 29min
CZM Book Club: Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
Margaret got talked into doing something fun for book club this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 16, 2025 • 59min
Part Two: The National Lawyers Guild: The Legal Arm of Basically Every Social Movement in the US
Margaret continues talking to Joelle Monique about the almost 90 year history of the organization for progressive and radical lawyers. Sources: https://moatlaw.com/2019/07/25/stand-with-the-people-watch-and-oppose-the-police/ https://www.nlg.org/a-history-of-the-nlg-1937-1987/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin#/media/File:1828-_Margin_of_victory_in_US_presidential_elections_-_popular_vote.svg https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/william-perkins-black-12522/ https://www.etymonline.com/word/barrister https://www.etymonline.com/word/bar https://www.americanbar.org/about_the_aba/timeline/ https://nationalbar.org/nba-history/ https://www.michbar.org/file/barjournal/article/documents/pdf4article2529.pdf https://www.nlg.org/national-lawyers-guild-convention-will-celebrate-75-years-reunite-activists/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 14, 2025 • 51min
Part One: The National Lawyers Guild: The Legal Arm of Basically Every Social Movement in the US
Margaret talks to Joelle Monique about the almost 90 year history of the organization for progressive and radical lawyers. Sources: https://moatlaw.com/2019/07/25/stand-with-the-people-watch-and-oppose-the-police/ https://www.nlg.org/a-history-of-the-nlg-1937-1987/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin#/media/File:1828-_Margin_of_victory_in_US_presidential_elections_-_popular_vote.svg https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/william-perkins-black-12522/ https://www.etymonline.com/word/barrister https://www.etymonline.com/word/bar https://www.americanbar.org/about_the_aba/timeline/ https://nationalbar.org/nba-history/ https://www.michbar.org/file/barjournal/article/documents/pdf4article2529.pdf https://www.nlg.org/national-lawyers-guild-convention-will-celebrate-75-years-reunite-activists/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 13, 2025 • 39min
CZM Book Club: Diary of a Lunatic by Leo Tolstoy
Margaret reads you a story about mental health, panic disorders, and anticapitalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 9, 2025 • 53min
CZM Rewind: Part Two: The Battle of Negro Fort: Florida's Maroon Community
Margaret continues talking with Jamie Loftus about the Black and Indigenous soldiers who lived free in a fort in Spanish Florida until Andrew Jackson broke a lot of laws to fight them. Orginial Air Date: 12.20.23See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.