“Listen! to the story of a strange American funeral.” Published in 1924, the poem, “Strange Funeral in Braddock” tells the tale of Jan Clepak, a steelworker atomized in an industrial accident.  “Strange Funeral” was set to music, choreographed, and chanted at the proletariat functions—but was it true and how did it come to be written? Local & Family History Librarian Jennie Benford will discuss the poem’s ties to the Pittsburgh area, its controversial author Michael Gold, and a story that might have been the poem’s inspiration. This program will take place in the South Wing Reading Room.