Podcast
The Hometown Holler
Hosted by The Hometown Holler · EN
North Carolina's Front Porch
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why the South Produces the Best Storytellers (Feat. Wiley Cash)
Mar 1600:50:47Tap to summarizeNew York Times bestselling novelist Wiley Cash joins the Holler to talk about storytelling, Southern identity, and what it means to be a North Carolina writer. Wiley reflects on growing up in Gastonia around religious family members who spoke in tongues, the small-town dynamics that shaped his novels, and how homesickness while living in Louisiana pushed him to write the book that launched his career. We also get into the craft of writing (including why he thinks “show, don’t tell” is terrible advice), the long tradition of Southern storytelling, and his new venture Flood Plain Books, an independent bookstore opening in Wilmington designed to bring readers, writers, and good conversation together.Join the Holler and help us build a better North Carolina, one conversation at a time
Transcribe →
America's Founding Son | Bob Crawford on John Quincy Adams
Mar 900:53:32Tap to summarizeBob Crawford of The Avett Brothers joins the Holler to discuss his new book "America's Founding Son" and how a touring musician ended up writing a sweeping history of John Quincy Adams. Bob recalls studying American history in the back of a tour van and falling down a rabbit hole that led him to one of the most fascinating and overlooked figures in American history.We talk about why Adams's era feels eerily familiar today (tariffs, populism, conspiracy theories, cultural polarization) and why Bob believes Adams's life is a powerful reminder that public service doesn't end when you leave the highest office in the land.Join the Holler: patreon.com/TheHometownHoller
Transcribe →
We Summoned Roy Cooper | NC Governor on the Senate Race, Medicaid & What's Really Dividing NC
Mar 200:49:33Tap to summarizeHarnessing the mystical power of Diet Sun Drop, we summoned Former NC Governor Roy Cooper to the Holler.Roy opens up about growing up in Nashville, NC (the original Nashville), working summers on the family farm, losing money on pigs and watermelons, and his short-lived career breaking horses. From blocking Phil Ford's shot in a high school gym to leading NC through hurricanes and COVID, Roy traces the journey that's now leading him to run for the U.S. Senate.We get into Medicaid expansion and how he got Republican sheriffs and county commissioners to bring it across the finish line, the affordability crisis squeezing North Carolina families, what it's really like to go from governor to one of 100 senators, and why he believes North Carolina isn't as divided as the politicians want us to think.Join the Holler:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheHometownHollerBuy us a coffee: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=69TJJY9ASUBGGSubstack: https://substack.com/@thehometownhollerWebsite: https://www.thehometownholler.com/#RoyCooper #NorthCarolina #HomeTownHoller #NC #Senate #NCPolitics
Transcribe →
Mr. Pierce Goes To Raleigh
Feb 2300:54:20Tap to summarizeRepresentative Rodney Pierce joins the Holler to talk about what it means to represent one of North Carolina’s most overlooked regions. A public school teacher and first-term legislator representing Halifax, Warren, and Northampton counties, Pierce discusses rural population decline, public school funding, bipartisan bills that never got hearings, and what rural voters want from their elected leaders in Raleigh.We talk school vouchers, segregation academies in eastern North Carolina, health disparities, removing a Confederate monument in Halifax County, and what it’s actually like inside the General Assembly. Pierce reflects on faith, service, and the responsibility of representing communities that too often feel left out of the political conversation.It’s a conversation about rural dignity, public education, bipartisan frustration, and who state government is really working for.👉 Join the Holler today and support independent North Carolina storytelling:https://www.thehometownholler.com/
Transcribe →
Richard Ojeda Puts Boots on the Ground
Feb 1600:47:08Tap to summarizeRichard Ojeda swings by the Holler to talk about service, sacrifice, and what real representation looks like in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. A retired Army major and former West Virginia state senator, Ojeda discusses leading troops in combat, surviving political violence, and why he believes members of Congress should put boots on the ground back home.We talk veterans’ health care, small-dollar fundraising vs. corporate PAC money, raising wages, and his challenge to incumbent Congressman Richard Hudson. It’s a conversation about leadership, accountability, and who government is actually supposed to work for.👉 Join the Holler today and support independent NC storytelling: https://www.thehometownholler.com/
Transcribe →
Heather Cox Richardson Returns!
Feb 2Tap to summarizeHistorian Heather Cox Richardson returns to The Holler to chat about American democracy, authoritarianism, and why history keeps echoing into the present.We talk Reconstruction, the Wilmington Coup, North Carolina’s unique political history, and what it means when people say, “it can’t happen here.”👉 Support independent NC storytelling: thehometownholler.com
Transcribe →