We’re Here
We’re Here takes listeners throughout the Mid-Atlantic to investigate the human side of environmental, psychological, and historical issues. From the Chesapeake Bay to the coal mines in Pennsylvania, we learn how to discover, understand, and care about what’s happening in our own backyards.
I wrote, edited, and produced each episode of this series along with my podcast partner, Melissa Wade.
“It Won’t Happen While I’m Alive”: Smith Island’s Deadline
We’re here on Smith Island, talking with locals about how their home will be underwater in less than 80 years, and how the deadline effect prevents us from taking action.
Tortillas, Citrus, and the Truth About GMOs
We’re here at D.C. restaurant, Maize64, amidst Mexico’s fight against GM corn. Melissa talks to Chef Mendez Florian and Timothy A. Wise about native corn and GMOs. Then, Abi takes a look at the human influence on citrus, contemplating how we might just be messing everything up.
We Found “Away” on a Mountain of Trash
We’re here on Mt. Trashmore, talking with locals about our consumption habits. Abi talks with Sandra Goldmark, author of Fixation, about how humans’ relationship to objects has changed over time. Melissa talks with Faye Christophoro and Iyanu Corniel from Post Landfill Action Network about the future of trash.
Unpacking Deadlines, Corn, and Upcycled Goods
It’s time to unpack—to break down what we learned from Mount Trashmore, Maize64, and Smith Island, and where we go from here.
Burial Rights and Revitalization: A Richmond Cemetery Story
We are back with four new episodes, starting with a tour of the restoration work happening at Richmond's historic Black Woodland cemetery. We talk burial practices and death taboos, and Melissa interviews the Doyenne of Death, Gail Rubin.
Visiting Nanticoke Land, Taking Back History
Abi and Melissa visit the Nanticoke Indian Museum in Delaware and talk with tribe member Morningstar about the tribe's story and their newly purchased land. Melissa then talks with researchers Chara Huessler Bohan and TJ Hindley about America's history book's long saga of hiding information.
Reclaiming Coal: A Tour Through the Anthracite
We head into coal country, Pennslyvania, to meet the people who are reclaiming abandoned mine lands and using coal refuse to create power. Along the way, we dive into the history of coal in the US, and the intricacies of burning rock responsibly.
Unpacking Death, Land, and Historical Myth
Abi and Melissa break down the past three episodes, provide updates, and play a game of Truth or Myth. They also tell listeners where they're headed for the next three episodes.
All the Lonely People: America’s First Doomsday Cult
Abi and Melissa travel to Philadelphia to see the Cave of Kelpius, the place where America's first doomsday cult awaited the end of the world, and they discuss community, cults, and loneliness.
Out in the Bay, Swimming in Blue Carbon
We take a trip to the Chesapeake Bay waters off the coast of Virginia, to visit a seagrass monitoring program and discuss what it's doing to protect and restore blue carbon stocks. Abi volunteers to help, and Melissa questions how this carbon market thing works.
Saving Our Predators: Ecosystems Inside and Out
Melissa travels to Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee to learn more about how the gradual disappearance of the endangered American Red Wolf affects the area's ecology. Abi talks with scientist Maren Hunsberger about the ecology of our guts, and how altering our routines can help fix our problems—or throw everything off.
Unpacking Cults, Carbon, and Ecosystems
It is the end of season one and, to unpack, Abi and Melissa review the last three episodes, the takeaways from cults, blue carbon, and ecosystems, while pondering the larger impact of the season as a whole.