We're back for Season 4! As we start this new season, I'm so excited to keep bringing you all more conversations with folks from all over Appalachia and maybe even beyond. I still want this to be a place where people are empowered to tell their own stories, and we will still be exploring all of the wondrous and beautiful places found in the Appalachian region. To lead off season four, I'm honored to be joined his week by Kendra Winchester! Kendra is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot, where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature, and she is the founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Kendra and I have a great conversation about Appalachian literature, the power behind books, and the importance of advocating for the mountains and the folks who call them home. We also talk about Kendra's new podcast called Read Appalachia, which will be launching just two days from now! I've included the link to Kendra's website in the show notes, where y'all can access her writing, discover recommendations on Appalachian literature, and access the podcast when it releases! I hope y'all enjoy!

Read Appalachia Website: https://www.readappalachia.com/

Here's a little taste of the antics to come!

Here it is, the season three finale on this very spooky Halloween night! I'm joined this week by a returning friend of the podcast, my very good friend Drew. This week, in the spirit of our Halloween season finale, Drew and I shift our conversation from the political to the paranormal. If you've ever heard of the representations or descriptions of aliens from outer space as "little green men", you may not know that this has its roots right here in Kentucky. That's what Drew and I discuss this week, and it's a good time from start to finish. My heart is filled with gratitude for this community. I have met and spoken with some amazing people, I have learned a lot about this region that I love so dearly, and I still have more work to do. Since the beginning of season three in June, Appalachian Firesides has grown more over the past few months than in the entire year and a half since we started, and there is still a lot ahead of us. I'll be signing off for the next couple of months as I get ready for finals, finish law school applications, and celebrate the holidays, but I'll still be hard at work on season four, and I am so excited for all of the great content to come! Y'all be sure to keep following the social media accounts, and tell your friends to get caught up on the podcast during the break! I hope you all enjoy this conversation with Drew, and again, thank you all so much. Until next time, I'll catch y'all next time!

This week, I was honored to interview Kevin Dunn, acclaimed author, scholar, documentary film-maker, activist, DIY cultural producer and Appalachian advocate. Kevin and I discussed his upcoming book, Vicious Is My Middle Name, which follows Sydney Vicious Talcott as she moves from Rochester NY to Beaver Dam NC. Though at first she has some difficulty transitioning to and understanding her new home, she soon finds more to love about Beaver Dam-the place and the people-than she could have imagined. Soon enough, she and her new friends will have to work to band the community together against a new threat to their Appalachian community, and they will do so through direct action in a very "punk" way. This book was an absolute joy to read, from start to finish, and I had a wonderful conversation with Kevin about his writing the book, and a few lessons that he hopes readers of all ages and from all places will take from it. Vicious Is My Middle Name is out on November 15, and is available for pre-order at the links below! I hope you all enjoy the book, and enjoy this week's episode!

Pre-Order Vicious Is My Middle Name: https://regalhousepublishing.com/product/vicious-is-my-middle-name/

Kevin's Website: https://www.kcdunn.com/

I'm so excited to be bringing you all a conversation with another great political candidate running in Appalachia. This week, I'm honored to be joined by Matthew Hoh, who is the Green Party nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. As you'll hear in the interview, Matt and his campaign have faced numerous challenges to even get Matt on the ballot in North Carolina, and whether or not you agree with the ideas that Matt and I discuss, I think that if we want to have a healthy democracy, then we have to make sure that more people can have a voice in making decisions, not just Democrats and Republicans. Matt and I also discuss his stances on a few key issues to his campaign, and a few ideas on how to improve the lives of people across Appalachian North Carolina, and the whole state as well. I've included a link to Matt's Campaign website in the show notes, if you're interested in learning more! I hope you all enjoy!

Matt's Campaign Website: https://www.matt4senate.org/

We're just a little under a month away from Election Day here in the U.S. and for the month of October I'm really excited to be bringing y'all some great conversations with a couple of great political candidates running in Appalachia. This week, I'm joined by Conor Halbleib, who is the Democratic nominee running for Congress in Kentucky's 5th Congressional District, which encompasses almost all of eastern Kentucky. As you'll hear in the interview, Conor's platform boils down to three really important principles: everyone deserves healthcare, everyone deserves clean drinking water, and everyone deserves a dignified job—and that it is a fundamental duty of government to provide for, and protect those rights. Conor and I talk about how he would support those measures in Congress, and how we can invest in people  to help make sure that folks in eastern Kentucky have access to the resources they need to live the dignified life that they deserve. I hope you all enjoy!  

ALSO, check out these links below ⤵️ to check out Conor's campaign website, or if you're a resident Kentucky and want to check our registration, request and absentee ballot, or need more information about voting and the election! 

Conor's Campaign Website: https://conor4kentucky.com/ 

Kentucky Voter Information: https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/govoteky

While our journey throughout the Appalachian region may not be in person like "Jungle Cruise", it is no less exciting for me and hopefully you all feel the same! This week, we're traveling to the great state of Georgia, and shining a light on the Booth Western Art Museum. From all that I have seen and read, this place looks like a wonderful location to take in the beautiful artwork and artifacts which bear witness to the important history of the American West, and the rich culture of numerous Indigenous and First Nations communities found throughout the continent. I hope you all enjoy the episode, and I hope you get a chance to visit the Museum soon!

Booth Western Art Museum Website: https://boothmuseum.org/

I’m joined this week by Dr. Roger Ward, chair of the Philosophy Department at Georgetown College, and a professor whom I’ve had quite a few classes with. Dr. Ward and I discuss probably one of the most important thinkers in American history, John Dewey. We talk about him for a few reasons, but probably the most notable is that Dewey’s ideas about democracy are so important to our own time. Dewey believed in democracy as a way to value the worth and experiences of ordinary people, and I think that, with all of the challenges we as human beings are confronting today, that idea is still just as powerful in out time as it was in Dewey's. And, as always, we find ways to relate John Dewey right back to FDR and the New Deal (no need to thank me). We get into all of this in great detail on today’s episode, and I hope you all enjoy!

I guess if there's a common theme for these past few episodes of Sights to See and Places to Be, it would be this: state parks rock. As we travel to Greenville County, South Carolina, tune in to hear about the majestic scenery around Caesar's Head Park, opportunities for fishing, camping, and sight-seeing. From all that I have seen and read, this is a wonderful place to visit with something to offer for everyone. I hope you all get a chance to visit, and I hope you enjoy's today's episode!

Caesar's Head State Park Website: https://southcarolinaparks.com/caesars-head

HAPPY LABOR DAY! We know that a three-day weekend is great, but what's most important is that we take this time to recognize that it's because of the hard work and sacrifice of workers all throughout our history that brought us not just this weekend but every weekend, not to mention minimum wage, unemployment insurance, the abolition of child labor, workers' comp law, paid family and sick leave, the eight-hour day, and so much more. We also know that the struggle to reaffirm and strengthen the rights of workers is still ongoing, but I am hopefully optimistic that, in the words of Pete Seeger and countless other activists, "We shall overcome". In honor of this holiday, I'm featuring my interview with Johnna and Erin, two organizers with the United Campus Workers at the University of Kentucky. We talk about how they each got involved with the Union, the work that they've done and have planned for this coming semester, and if you're a student at U.K. and are interested in joining or even just learning more about the Union, be sure to stick around until the end to hear about how you can get involved! It was great having Erin and Johnna join me on the show, and I hope you all enjoy our conversation!