LOOKING BACK AT 2025: Hollis French, Jubilee Underwood, Josh Revak, Mara Kimmel, JJ Harrier, Zack Fields, Dan O'Neill, Aaron Poe, Margaret Stock, Les Gara, Amanda Metivier, & Tali Stone

Today, New Year’s Eve 2025, I thought I’d take a look back at a few episodes from the last year. I am in my 5th year of the East Anchorage Book Club podcast and last year I released 78 episodes. This podcast is extremely meaningful to me as both as a legislator and as a person: I learn about issues that I am unfamiliar with, I create relationships with unexpected people, and it really is through editing the conversations that I internalize them and come out of them changed. 

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Today's episodes includes excerpts from the following interviews:

Hollis French: former AK Senate Minority Leader, gubernatorial candidate, and AOGCC Commissioner

Rep. Jubilee Underwood (R-Wasilla): Former President of the MatSu School Board

Josh Revak: Former Alaska State Senator & Iraq war veteran

Mara Kimmel: Director of the ACLU of Alaska discusses ICE detainees held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex

PRIDE 2025: JJ Harrier, Chair of the Anchorage Pride Parade

Rep. Zack Fields (D-Anchorage) discusses the US Congressional Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025

AK MEDIA: Dan O'Neill: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Columnist 1998-2002

LEAVING AMERICA: Aaron Poe on relocating his family to Ireland in 2025

Margaret Stock: Immigration attorney, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, & 2016 AK US Senate Candidate

Les Gara & Amanda Metivier: Audit of the Office of Children's Services

Foster Care in Alaska 2025: Deko Harbi, Shannon Smith, & Tali Stone