Holler: Voices of West Virginia Women

After taking a few months to assemble a small (but mighty!) production crew, #HollerPodcast is back with a special for the West Virginia Primary Election. Kendra Fershee is a working mom running for Congress in West Virginia's 1st Congressional District. In this episode, you'll hear her take on why we need more women in elected office, the challenges women (and particularly, moms) face when deciding to run for office, and what made her decide to run for Congress. We'd also like to highlight the following women for attending out first #HollerPodcast event last weekend. We hosted a women candidates mixer and these incredible women participated in a panel discussion (which we are unfortunately unable to share with you due to technical difficulties with our audio device). Please check out these candidates' websites and remember them when you decide who to vote for on May 8th! Del. Barbara Evans Fleischauer - http://www.friendsofbarbara.com/ Stephanie Zucker (running to represent the 14th Senate District in the WV Senate) - https://www.zuckerforwv.com/ Danielle Walker (running to represent the 51st District in the WV House of Delegates) - https://www.daniforwv.com/ Sara Anderson (Monongalia County School Board) - http://www.saraforwv.com/

In 2016, Sammi Brown ran for the WV House of Delegates, hoping for the chance to represent her hometown, Charles Town, WV, in the state legislature. Sammi didn't win, but she is back and more ready than ever for the 2018 elections. In this week's episode, Sammi shares with listeners her journey into politics (the daughter of a labor advocate, she became involved at a young age!). In addition, she shares some of the valuable lessons she learned on the campaign trail the first time around, and some of her visions for the state of West Virginia in the future.

Dominique Villaseñor, of Summersville, WV, recently wrote a letter to President Donald Trump regarding her view on immigration policy in the United States. Dominique's parents, both Mexican, moved to West Virginia to start a business before she was born. In this week's episode, Dominique reads her letter and weighs in on what it was like to grow up in West Virginia, how the current political climate has made her feel and become active in politics, and her definition of the American dream. To read Dominique's letter, visit https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/gazette_opinion/op_ed_commentaries/dominique-villasenor-i-m-from-summersville-wv-i-am-mexican/article_803d365a-0ab6-597c-8fe5-d2ad82564dc4.html. Special thanks to Forever Strong for providing intro music for the show.

Jackie Lozano was born in Mexico, but only remembers her childhood in the United States. Brought to the U.S. by her mother when she was a sick baby, Jackie is a Dreamer and benefits from DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), an act that provides her a permit to live and work in the United States, although she is not a citizen. Jackie didn't know she was not a citizen of the U.S. until high school, when she began planning to attend college. In this week's episode, Jackie talks about how it felt to find out that her opportunities were so limited in the United States, even though it is her home, in addition to what she hopes for her son, and for humanity.

Jamela North Starr Brown was born and raised in Rand, WV (home of Randy Moss!) and currently lives in Charleston, WV. She is a counselor for Job Corps and a spoken word artist. Jamela was a background vocalist for the Delfonics in Brooklyn, NY and has performed at the World Famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NY. Her first poetry CD was called "Tailor Made" and you can find a clip from the CD release party here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fb-vOort9g&feature=youtu.be. The following is a link to one of her performances at Bluegrass Kitchen in Charleston, WV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_SZn_4DvkU&feature=youtu.be One of her songs, "Worship Me" by Jamela North Starr Brown, is available for purchase on Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y2tnvitehA&feature=youtu.be To get in touch with or follow Jamela North Starr Brown, you can follow her on Twitter @POETIKSTARR75, friend her on FB (Jamela North Starr Brown)or www.facebook.com/2Poetik, or on Instagram @J.Tanae. For more information about Job Corps visit www.charleston.jobcorps.gov or www.jobcorps.gov.

Ashley Keiffer, of St. Albans, West Virginia, battled addiction for 17 years. Now, she is preparing to open her own sober living home for women, The ARK (Addiction Recovery Kingdom): Saving Women From Drowning in Addiction. In this week's episode, Ashley describes what saved her from her almost two decades of addiction, how she believes the state can help others suffering, and what she wishes more people knew about addiction. Some helpful recovery resources in the Charleston area and the state include Recovery Point, WV Helpline (1-844-HELP-4-WV), the West Virginia Council of Churches, and Beyond Addiction family support groups/classes. To recommend a featured artist for the show, visit hollerpodcast.com and click the "Featured Artists" tab, and select the available link for suggestions.

Crystal Good is a sixth generation West Virginian. An author, entrepreneur, advocate, band member, and mom, Crystal has made her mark in the Mountain State by creating opportunities to do what she is most passionate about. In this week's episode, she talks about the poetry of law, her new small farm hemp cosmetics line, Good Hemp, and how West Virginians have supported her through every endeavor. Check out the Indiegogo campaign for Good Hemp at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/naturally-beautiful-with-good-hemp-natural-beauty#/. This week's featured band is Whiskey Victor, a duo consisting of Anna-Kate and Shannon Bean, from Morgantown, WV. The Bean sisters fell in love with the harmonies of bluegrass at their family gatherings, and originally formed Whiskey Victor to play at a charity event. Now, Whiskey Victor is planning to release an album next year. Make sure to follow Whiskey Victor on Twitter and Instagram!

WVU sophomore Shan Cawley is passionate about using what she experienced growing up to advocate for others and share her story. The Weirton, WV native has published two books, helped to create a publishing house for other Appalachian authors, and has made it her mission to raise awareness about sexual assault on WVU's campus. Make sure to follow or "like" the WVU campaign Shan kickstarted, "Go First: Unite for Title IX," and follow ennuihouse on Twitter. This week's featured musical artist is WV native and WVU graduate, Zoe Heflin. Zoe graduated in May 2017 from the WVU College of Creative Arts. She is a composer, cellist, and vocalist. Special thank you to Forever Strong for their support of our show and providing our podcast's intro and outro music.

Tamia Hardy, Miss West Virginia 2017, is educating West Virginians about sexual assault, working with and teaching children, and has represented the state at Miss America. As the first black Miss West Virginia, Tamia talks about the importance of representation in this episode, as well as her business education, her current job, and her future. This week's musical guest, Rebecca Berhanu, is a Morgantown native and WVU student. Berhanu recently released a new EP titled "Somebody," which is available on iTunes and Spotify. Special thanks to Forever Strong for providing Holler's intro and outro music.

Cindy Briggs-Biondi is more than just a pastor, she is a force of faith amidst the fight against the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. In episode seven, Cindy shares what she thinks is important when helping others in recovery, how she discovered her faith and desire to become a pastor, and how we, of all religious backgrounds, can work together. Our featured music this week is by the duo, Kay and Posey. Their featured song is "Sweet Fire." Learn more about the duo by checking out "Kay and Posey" on Facebook. Some helpful recovery resources in the Charleston area and the state include Recovery Point, WV Helpline (1-844-HELP-4-WV), the West Virginia Council of Churches, and Beyond Addiction family support groups/classes.

Natalie Sal graduated from the WVU engineering program and continued her education at WVU Law. In this week's episode, she discusses her firm's pro bono work, representing children in court, and her own experiences as a WV woman as a mother and daughter. Special thank you to Forever Strong for our weekly show music. Make sure to visit hollerpodcast.com and click on the featured artist tab to recommend a featured artist for the coming weeks!

Libera Inc. is an organization working to help women in West Virginia find their personal freedom. In this episode, host and producer Hilary Kinney sits down with Libera founder, Karen Haring, and Libera listener, Megan Wright. Thank you to Forever Strong for providing the music for the Holler podcast. Find them on Spotify, Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter.

Chrissy Packtor, WVU grad and current MPH candidate at Boston University, talks about her experience advocating for and organizing around reproductive justice issues in the state. Anyone interested in becoming involved in reproductive justice issues in the state can check out Planned Parenthood, WV FREE, and WVU Students for Reproductive Justice on social media! This week's featured artist is Brooke Cottrill, of Bridgeport, WV. You can find more of her music at brookecottrill.com. Thank you to Forever Strong for providing our show's music.

Delegate Saira Blair graduated high school in 2014 and won a seat in the WV House of Delegates just months later, becoming the youngest person to ever be elected to a state legislature in the United States. Saira shares some advice and stories about her time running and serving as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. This week's featured band is Hello June. They are a female-fronted indie band with a penchant for down home rock n' roll. Learn more about Hello June at https://hellojune.bandcamp.com/. Special thanks to Forever Strong for providing intro and outro music for our show!

Emily Calandrelli is a West Virginia native, WVU and MIT grad, Emmy-nominated host of Xploration Outer Space on FOX, correspondent for Bill Nye Saves the World, and children's book author. Special thanks to Jaclyn Fenton, Alec Gearty, musical feature HEAF, and the band Forever Strong for providing intro and outro music for this week's show.