Eagle Harbor Book Company, in honor of International Workers Day, will pay tribute to iconic folk musician Woody Guthrie, as Seattle KEXP DJ Greg Vandy talks with Seattle Symphony bassist Jonathan Green about his new book, “26 Songs in 30 Days: Woody Guthries Columbia River Songs and the Planned Promised Land in the Pacific Northwest” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1.

In 1941, Guthrie wrote 26 songs in 30 days, including classics like “Roll On Columbia” and “Pastures of Plenty,” when he was hired by the Bonneville Power Administration to promote the benefits of cheap hydroelectric power, irrigation and the Grand Coulee Dam.

Timed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of this project, Vandy takes readers inside the unusual partnership between one of America’s great folk artists and the federal government, and shows how the folk revival was a response to hard times.

In recent years, some have lamented the relationship between Guthrie and the BPA — whose dams have been singled out for damage to fish population and the health of the watershed.

Vandy argues that Guthrie’s work and songs were not mere propaganda, but derived from a deep impulse to see the common man empowered through natural resources and public rather than private works.

“26 Songs In 30 Days” plunges deeply into the historical context of the time and the progressive politics that embraced social democracy during an era in which the United States had been severely suffering from the Great Depression, and though this is a musical history of a vibrant American musical icon and a specific part of the country, it also serves as a reminder of how timeless and expansive such topics are in today’s political discourse.

Visit www.eagleharborbooks.com to learn more about this and other upcoming author events.