In this episode, Avery speaks with community organizer and independent party candidate for Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Ms. Princess Blanding. Avery and Ms. Blanding speak about the importance of community activism, her perspective on Virginia politics,

In this episode, we celebrate National Poetry Month (April) by listening to the work of four young poets and students from Northumberland. In addition to hearing their poems about identity and background, we discuss poetry as a medium, creative expression

In this episode Denzel speaks with Erin Hapgood — Northumberland County, Virginia’s Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney. Erin shares a bit about her journey to law school, how she found the Northern Neck of Virginia, and what her job as Assistant Commonweal

In this episode, we cover Virginia’s new Voting Rights Act, the ending of the Death Penalty, new broadband funding, and some of the other new laws and policies that have come out of Richmond in recent months. Help our podcast grow by subscribing, leaving

This week, listen to Tahi's conversation with Iris Lane, a lifelong Northern Neck resident and current member of the Westmoreland County School Board. Help our podcast grow by subscribing, leaving ratings, and engaging with us on Twitter @mainstspeaks and

In this episode, we discuss the various facets of rural environmentalism, including local vs. global environmental consciousness, participatory policymaking, environmental injustice, and whether the rural-urban environmental divide exists. You'll hear fro

Today Denzel speaks with Jane Blue — the Director of Northumberland Public Library. In this conversation, Director Blue tells us about what it is like to run a rural library, the challenges her library has faced during the pandemic, and why a library is t

For this episode we speak with Mykel Cox — a high school student at Northumberland High School who has had to tackle the challenges of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like all of us, Mykel has not had an easy time adjusting to life during t

In this episode, Tahi speaks with Ilona Duncan; writer, musician, traveler, and polyglot; about lessons from living around the world, notions of identity and background, the importance of music, and much more. You can learn more about her writing at https

In this episode, we examine the history and present of rural resentment, the way law impacts rural areas, the historical identity of rural communities, and much more with Emily Prifogle, JD/PhD, a legal historian and professor of law at the University of