In Episode 2 of Dollyology, host Jordan Campbell sits down with Jad Abumrad, creator of the landmark podcast Dolly Parton’s America, to return to the Dollyverse nearly seven years after the series first captured the complicated, contradictory, and deeply human world surrounding Dolly Parton.

Together, they revisit the making and meaning of Dolly Parton’s America with the benefit of hindsight—exploring what Jad has learned about Dolly, America, fandom, storytelling, and even himself since the Peabody Award-winning podcast debuted in 2019. Their conversation moves beyond the mythology to consider why Dolly continues to resonate across cultural and political divides, how the stories we tell about her have evolved, and what happens when a piece of journalism becomes part of the very cultural story it set out to examine.

It’s a conversation about Dolly—but also about memory, identity, belonging, contradiction, curiosity, and the stories we use to understand one another.

Jad Abumrad will also be speaking at the University of Kentucky in Lexington on October 3. Follow uky.edu for additional details as they are announced from the university's event listing, and follow Jordan at facebook.com/JEJordanCampbell for updates when ticket information for the Lexington event is released.

In the inaugural episode of Dollyology, host Jordan Campbell begins his first deep-dive into the Dollyverse with Rebecca Seaver and Christian Ferguson of the Dolly Parton Archives and the Life of Many Colors Museum. Together, they explore how Dolly’s story is preserved, interpreted, and carried forward—from rhinestones and handwritten lyrics to the memories, meanings, and cultural moments that continue to shape her legacy.

This episode looks back to look forward, asking what Dolly’s archive can teach us about artistry, identity, storytelling, heritage, and the power of knowing exactly who you are.