Denied unemployment, how do I appeal? - 8 weeks in

My claim was denied after 8 weeks of waiting, and the letter says I have a short window to appeal. There are 6 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I have not done a hearing before and I am nervous. If you have appealed before, what helped you prepare?

I printed my emails in order and wrote a one-page timeline. The hearing officer kept going back to it.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.