
Appodlachia
A progressive podcast providing a counter-narrative to the negative portrayal and harmful stereotypes of Appalachia.
Episodes
242 episodes
#250: Stories of rural resistance from the Holler
Today, I talk with Denali Nalamalapu about her new graphic novel, “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance,” which tells the story of six people who became resisters of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
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38:02

#249: Big Beautiful Bulls**t
Airing my grievances about the recently passed nightmare legislation in Congress, then talking with Melissa Cropper of the Ohio Federation of Teachers about school vouchers in the Buckeye State!https://www.allinforohiokids.com/---...
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46:39

#248: Barbara Kingsolver and the house that Demon built
Today, I had the privilege of speaking with Barbara Kingsolver — Appalachian literary icon and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Demon Copperhead. We talk about how she incorporates Appalachia into her writing, and what she did with her De...
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1:18:35

#247: Big John's Second Swan Song
Today, Chuck and Big John shoot the sh*t for one last time, with John in the co-hosting chair. We bid farewell to BJ's second stint as co-host and talk about whatever we feel like, including what the plan is for the future of the show (sp...
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55:30

#246: Former MSHA head sounds the alarm on RFK's cuts at NIOSH
Today, Chuck talks with former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, Joe Main, on how the recent federal spending cuts targeting NIOSH have put miners safety and lives at risk. You can follow Joe on LinkedIn, wher...
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48:41

#245: Hurricane Helene: 7 months later
Hello friends! We're back after a bit of a break :) Today, we're joined by Dalton George, Mayor Pro-Tem of Boone, NC. Dalton and Chuck talk about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and how recovery is looking in the 7 mon...
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49:55

#244: Party-grass with Addie Levy
Chuck talks with Appalachian bluegrass musician and member of the Brothers Comatose, Addie Levy, on today's episode!LinksDarlin Please - https://open.spotify.com...
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39:51

#243: Palmyra
Chuck and Big John talk to the folks from the band Palmyra! Check out their song “Shape I'm In” https://ohboy.lnk.to/shapeiminhttps://www.palmyratheband.com/Flood Relief! https://docs.google.com/spr...
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42:35

#242: Discussing the recent Soft White Underbelly controversy
It's been a minute since we talked about Soft White Underbelly, and a LOT has happened! We break down some recent controversy and give our takes on the whole situation with the West Virginia family known as the Whittakers. Flood ...
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46:50

#241: 18 Husky Brownie Bites
Big John's out sick so we've unearthed an interview from the vaultCheck out our substack, where Chuck (tries to) writes weekly http://appodlachia.substack.com Red Rooster Coff...
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29:52

#240: Emily Calandrelli is the 100th Woman in Space
Today, Chuck and Big John talk with one of our favorite West Virginians — Emily Calandrelli — about how she became the 100th woman EVER to fly to space! Also, Chuck explains why Punxsutawney Phil is a fraud, the boys talk about the ...
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1:10:44

#239: The Appalachian Accent Project and 2025 soft launch
We're soft launching 2025, people! We dropped our Appalachian accent project with over 1,500 accents! You can check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPnF5Q4eCv4Check ou...
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35:19

#238: Wild Foxfire remedies, and the BEEF with Ponderosa
In our last episode of the year, we:— Go through more wild Foxfire home remedies — Discuss why Rich Rodriguez is like JD Vance— Talk about what's happening in Syria— Big John explains his beef with Ponderosa Dr. S...
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1:04:26

#237: From Appalachia to the Ivy League (But not JD Vance!)
We had a fantastic conversation with Madison aka xgigglypuff about how she went from Appalachia to graduating from Harvard University, working as a software engineer, content creation, video games, education attainment, and more!AND we ...
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1:27:42

#236: Giving thanks for our old AIM screen names
A post-Thanksgiving round up of politics stuff, good news in Appalachia, and Big John's story about a card heistHelp Appalachia recover from Helene https://www.appalachiahelenef...
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59:50

#235: About that 2024 election
One last dance with the 2024 election from Appodlachia. We talk about our thoughts on the results, and are open about our criticisms of the Democratic Party broadly (which existed prior to this election). ------------------------...
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1:05:32

#234: Hillbilly Elegection: Our presidential predictions
Friends, we leave you with these election predictions! No ads, no preamble, just us winging it on what we think will happen. -----------------------------------------------HELP SUPPORT APPODLACHIA! Join ou...
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1:03:42

#233: What's up with the Appalachian Clean Hydrogen Hub?
Today, Chuck and Big John discuss the Appalachian Clean Hydrogen Hub and some recent criticisms surrounding it. Take our survey on how to say Appalachia!!! https://forms.gle/GzR5N7...
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56:35

#232: The canaries in the coal mine of climate change (with the Chaotic Forager)
**Re-uploading due to an issue with the previous episode's audio file! Should be fixed now This week, we talk about a fake story out of Western North Carolina that is causing real problems, a legendary Appalachian woman who deserves...
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1:07:59

#231: Fat Bear Week analysis & the hurricane of misinformation in Appalachia
We've got a bit of a riff episode this week because Chuck is evacuating from Hurricane Milton. Big John shares his harrowing stories of growing up as an overweight kid longing to be an athlete, we analyze Fat Bear Week, and then having a ...
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1:01:10

#230: The Palestinian-American representing Appalachian Georgia, Rep. Ruwa Romman
On today's episode, Chuck talks with Rep. Ruwa Romman, the Palestinian-American organizer and policy analyst representing Georgia's 97th House District. She is the first Muslim and Palestinian woman ever elected to the Georgia State House...
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1:27:03

#229: The Appalachian in charge of our nation's mine safety
On today's episode, Chuck talks with Christopher J. Williamson, Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Secretary Williamson leads the federal agency in charge of keeping all miners safe and healthy, and was a key ...
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1:25:55

#228: Haitian immigrants are NOT eating pets in Ohio
On today's episode, Chuck and Big John talk about WVU's confusing and extremely disappointing blame game about the Appalachian studies minor, discuss the bonkers racism coming out of politicians mouths about Haitian migrants in Springfield, OH,...
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1:16:30

#227: Rednecks took center-stage at the DNC
On today's episode, Chuck and Big John demand an apology from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team for reasons which you'll soon find out, discuss John Russell's historic speech at the Democratic Nati...
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1:01:00

#226: Kangaroos on the loose and crowdfunding classrooms
On today's episode, Chuck and Big John plead with listeners to fund their expedition to the Ponderosa Buffet in Taipei, Taiwan, discuss the lack of restrictions in West Virginia on kangaroo ownership, cast doubt at school districts banning crow...
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59:02
