Oral History Interviews
This oral history project explores the legacies and impact of Appalshop by documenting the lives of people who have been a part of its story. A Kentucky-based organization, Appalshop has been making media and art since its founding in 1969. Exploring the Legacies of Appalshop Oral History Project is a partnership involving Jeffrey A. Keith, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries, and Warren Wilson College. Partial funding was provided by the Kentucky Oral History Commission and the Appalachian College Association. This site is a digital exhibit, the archival collection can be accessed online using SPOKEdb, the Nunn Center's online repository.
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Helen Lewis, March 9, 2015
In this interview, Helen Lewis discusses her childhood in rural Georgia and her early experiences with race relations. She tells the story of meeting the man… -
Bill Richardson, August 14, 2015
Bill Richardson discusses his upbringing in Indianapolis, his undergraduate experience at Depauw University, his graduate school experience at Yale University,… -
Bill Richardson, August 16, 2015
Bill Richardson discusses the extent of his professional life with Appalshop during the 1970s and the rise of his architecture firm in Whitesburg. He discusses… -
Herb E. Smith, August 16, 2015
Herby Smith discusses his family's roots in Appalachia, his education and boyhood in Whitesburg, and the earliest years at Appalshop, including his simultaneous… -
Rich Kirby, August 16, 2015
Rich Kirby discusses his childhood, split between Cynthiana, Kentucky and New York City. In Kentucky, he stayed with his grandmother Addie Graham, whose roots… -
Mimi Pickering, August 17, 2015
Mimi Pickering discusses her upbringing in the Bay Area of California, explaining her political awareness in the context of the 1960s. She describes her… -
Herb E. Smith, September 19, 2015
This interview with Herb Smith begins with a discussion of his college life, shuttling between Letcher County, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee. He also talks… -
Mimi Pickering, September 20, 2015
In this interview, Mimi Pickering discusses her work at Appalshop during the 1970s and early 1980s. She describes the intersection of that work, union politics,… -
Carl Banks, September 20, 2015
Carl Banks discusses his family's deep roots in Eastern Kentucky, as well as his childhood in Letcher County in the 1940s. He talks about his education, his… -
Josephine Richardson, September…
Josephine Richardson discusses her family background, how she met her husband, and why she moved from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. After marrying… -
Rich Kirby, October 14, 2015
Rich Kirby describes his career at Appalshop, reflects on his recording career at June Appal Records, and describes how he became increasingly interested and… -
Mary Beth Bingman, October 15, 2015
Mary Beth Bingman begins by discussing her upbringing and the various places her family lived. She describes her relationship to the field of education and… -
Dee Davis, October 19, 2015
Dee Davis recalls his family connections to Eastern Kentucky, and he describes his upbringing and education. He discusses his discovery of Appalshop and how he… -
Matt Carter, October 19, 2015
Matt Carter begins the interview by recalling his childhood in Pike County, Kentucky and the loss of his homeplace when a roadway was widened by the state. He… -
Jim Webb, October 20, 2015
Jim Webb provides a detailed description of his childhood in Shadyside, Ohio, as well as his path to Berea College. He describes the innocent world of high… -
Dee Davis, November 13, 2015
Dee Davis talks about the aspirations and interests of Appalshoppers and uses that topic to explore how culture and art relate to politics. He discusses major… -
Jim Webb, November 13, 2015
Jim Webb recalls becoming aware of the destructiveness of strip-mining and how this became a focus of his creative work and his life as an activist. He… -
Marty Newell, November 14, 2015
Marty Newell begins by remembering his childhood in the coal company town of Highsplint, and discusses moving to Whitesburg at a time when the region was… -
Amelia Kirby, November 14, 2015
Amelia Kirby begins by describing her childhood in southwestern Virginia where she was the only child among a number of households of artists, activists, and… -
Jack Wright, November 15, 2015
Jack Wright begins the interview by describing his family and his childhood in southwestern Virginia and Alabama. He describes his interest in music and rock 'n… -
Ron Short, January 27, 2016
Short tells many stories from his childhood and family, claiming he had the best childhood in the world. He moves on to talk about his time in the Vietnam War… -
Dudley Cocke, January 27, 2016
This interview explains how and why Dudley Cocke helped to create Roadside Theater. Activism and community are important parts of the organization. The… -
Mimi Pickering, January 28, 2016
In a continuation of previous interviews conducted by Jeff Keith, Mimi Pickering discusses her work at Appalshop mainly during the period of the 1980s. She… -
Ben Gish, January 28, 2016
Gish begins the interview with anecdotes on his childhood including going into coal mines with his grandfather and working at his parents' newspaper "The… -
Donna Porterfield, January 29, 2016
Donna Porterfield explains her life and how it led her to working with Roadside Theater. She had not always been aware of injustice, but she began to notice it… -
Herb E. Smith, January 29, 2016
Herb Smith talks about the role Appalshop played as an internal, independent voice in the region. He says that he believes it was the youth culture in the… -
Ron Short, February 12, 2016
Short discusses his career at Roadside Theater Company, focusing heavily on their quest to educate people on Appalachian culture as well as integrate other… -
Frank Taylor, February 12, 2016
Taylor begins the interview by describing his family history and his connection to storytelling through his childhood. He then discusses the radical time of the… -
Donna Porterfield, February 13,…
Donna Porterfield describes her career at Roadside Theater. She describes how she came to Roadside, as well as Roadside’s early touring days and the adventures… -
Dudley Cocke, February 13, 2016
Dudley Cocke discusses many aspects of his life's work with Appalshop and Roadside Theater. The interview contains discussions on politics and policies that… -
Jamie Haft, February 13, 2016
This interview follows Jamie Haft's journey toward activism. She explains that she did not always notice injustice. During college she became more aware of… -
Alessandro Portelli, March 4, 2016
This interview explains how Alessandro Portelli became involved with Appalshop. He explains coming to America and what it was like. He explains his work and… -
Tom Hansell, March 4, 2016
Tom Hansell, a former employee of Appalshop, Inc., discusses his time spent at the organization as the assistant public affairs and program manager as well as… -
Scott Faulkner, March 9, 2016
Scott Faulkner discusses the ten years that he spent making films at Appalshop, Inc. in Whitesburg, Kentucky as a part of funding received by Bill Richardson… -
Nick Slie, March 10, 2016
Nick Slie, the owner of the multi-disciplinary company Mondo Bizarro, discusses the founding of his company as well as the relationship with several other… -
Lily Keber, March 14, 2016
Lily Keber, a film producer and director in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses her visual arts education as well as her origins in the mountains of North… -
Andrew Garrison, March 15, 2016
Andrew Garrison, a former employee of Appalshop, Inc, discusses his time spent as a cameraman and filmmaker for the organization. He talks about the films he… -
Anne Lewis, March 16, 2016
Anne Lewis, a filmmaker associated with Appalshop, Inc., discusses her life in filmmaking and finding her way to Appalachia from Washington, D.C. She talks… -
Anne Lewis, March 17, 2016
Anne Lewis, a filmmaker associated with Appalshop, Inc., in a follow-up interview with Jeff Keith continues to discuss the films she made in the time that she… -
Edward Wemytewa, March 20, 2016
Edward Wemytewa, a former collaborator with Roadside Theater, discusses channeling his Zuni heritage through storytelling. He talks about the immense changes in… -
Arlene Goldbard, March 21, 2016
Arlene Goldbard, a consultant for community cultural development as well as a former leader for Neighborhood Arts Programs National Organizing Committee… -
John Malpede, March 29, 2016
John Malpede, the founder of the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) and former collaborator with Appalshop, Inc., discusses his time spent working with… -
Henriette Brouwers, March 29, 2016
Henriette Brouwers, associate director of the Robert F. Kennedy Performance Project and the Los Angeles Poverty Department, discusses her childhood in the… -
Julien Nitzberg, March 30, 2016
Julien Nitzberg, former Appalshop, Inc. intern and the maker of "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia", discusses growing up as a Jew in the Bronx in… -
Robert Wisdom, April 1, 2016
Robert Wisdom, a popular actor in shows such as "The Wire" and "Supernatural", discusses the start of his career and how those events led him to Appalshop, Inc.… -
Jim Webb, August 12, 2017
Webb talks about getting hired at WBTH radio station in Williamson, West Virginia and his first time on the radio being Santa Claus and reading letters from… -
Sylvia Ryerson, October 19, 2017
Sylvia Ryerson, a former intern and radio producer for Appalshop, Inc.'s WMMT radio station, discusses her public school education, finding her way to music,… -
Jack Willis, October 20, 2017
Jack Willis, a filmmaker responsible for films such as "Lay My Burden Down" and "Rich Land, Poor People", discusses his childhood and the beginnings of his… -
Jack Wright, December 21, 2015
In this second interview with Jack Wright he continues his discussion of his role as an MP during the Vietnam War. He discusses both positive and negative… -
Brett Ratliff, May 16, 2018
Brett Ratliff talks about his life, beginning with his childhood in the tiny coal town of Van Lear, Kentucky. Ratliff had pride in his small community and his… -
Judi Jennings, May 11, 2018
Jeffrey A. Keith interviews Judi Jennings, an award-winning activist, director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and fundraiser for Appalshop, Inc. Jennings… -
Judi Jennings, May 17, 2018
Jeffrey A. Keith interviews Judi Jennings, an Appalshop, Inc. board member, fund raiser, and the director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Jennings… -
Caron Atlas, October 19, 2017
Caron Atlas, the director of the Arts & Democracy Project in New York and a former employee of Appalshop, Inc., discusses her time spent at the organization…
Helen Lewis, March 9, 2015
In this interview, Helen Lewis discusses her childhood in rural Georgia and her early experiences with race relations. She tells the story of meeting the man…
Bill Richardson, August 14, 2015
Bill Richardson discusses his upbringing in Indianapolis, his undergraduate experience at Depauw University, his graduate school experience at Yale University,…
Bill Richardson, August 16, 2015
Bill Richardson discusses the extent of his professional life with Appalshop during the 1970s and the rise of his architecture firm in Whitesburg. He discusses…
Herb E. Smith, August 16, 2015
Herby Smith discusses his family's roots in Appalachia, his education and boyhood in Whitesburg, and the earliest years at Appalshop, including his simultaneous…
Rich Kirby, August 16, 2015
Rich Kirby discusses his childhood, split between Cynthiana, Kentucky and New York City. In Kentucky, he stayed with his grandmother Addie Graham, whose roots…
Mimi Pickering, August 17, 2015
Mimi Pickering discusses her upbringing in the Bay Area of California, explaining her political awareness in the context of the 1960s. She describes her…
Herb E. Smith, September 19, 2015
This interview with Herb Smith begins with a discussion of his college life, shuttling between Letcher County, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee. He also talks…
Mimi Pickering, September 20, 2015
In this interview, Mimi Pickering discusses her work at Appalshop during the 1970s and early 1980s. She describes the intersection of that work, union politics,…
Carl Banks, September 20, 2015
Carl Banks discusses his family's deep roots in Eastern Kentucky, as well as his childhood in Letcher County in the 1940s. He talks about his education, his…
Josephine Richardson, September…
Josephine Richardson discusses her family background, how she met her husband, and why she moved from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. After marrying…
Rich Kirby, October 14, 2015
Rich Kirby describes his career at Appalshop, reflects on his recording career at June Appal Records, and describes how he became increasingly interested and…
Mary Beth Bingman, October 15, 2015
Mary Beth Bingman begins by discussing her upbringing and the various places her family lived. She describes her relationship to the field of education and…
Dee Davis, October 19, 2015
Dee Davis recalls his family connections to Eastern Kentucky, and he describes his upbringing and education. He discusses his discovery of Appalshop and how he…
Matt Carter, October 19, 2015
Matt Carter begins the interview by recalling his childhood in Pike County, Kentucky and the loss of his homeplace when a roadway was widened by the state. He…
Jim Webb, October 20, 2015
Jim Webb provides a detailed description of his childhood in Shadyside, Ohio, as well as his path to Berea College. He describes the innocent world of high…
Dee Davis, November 13, 2015
Dee Davis talks about the aspirations and interests of Appalshoppers and uses that topic to explore how culture and art relate to politics. He discusses major…
Jim Webb, November 13, 2015
Jim Webb recalls becoming aware of the destructiveness of strip-mining and how this became a focus of his creative work and his life as an activist. He…
Marty Newell, November 14, 2015
Marty Newell begins by remembering his childhood in the coal company town of Highsplint, and discusses moving to Whitesburg at a time when the region was…
Amelia Kirby, November 14, 2015
Amelia Kirby begins by describing her childhood in southwestern Virginia where she was the only child among a number of households of artists, activists, and…
Jack Wright, November 15, 2015
Jack Wright begins the interview by describing his family and his childhood in southwestern Virginia and Alabama. He describes his interest in music and rock 'n…
Ron Short, January 27, 2016
Short tells many stories from his childhood and family, claiming he had the best childhood in the world. He moves on to talk about his time in the Vietnam War…
Dudley Cocke, January 27, 2016
This interview explains how and why Dudley Cocke helped to create Roadside Theater. Activism and community are important parts of the organization. The…
Mimi Pickering, January 28, 2016
In a continuation of previous interviews conducted by Jeff Keith, Mimi Pickering discusses her work at Appalshop mainly during the period of the 1980s. She…
Ben Gish, January 28, 2016
Gish begins the interview with anecdotes on his childhood including going into coal mines with his grandfather and working at his parents' newspaper "The…
Donna Porterfield, January 29, 2016
Donna Porterfield explains her life and how it led her to working with Roadside Theater. She had not always been aware of injustice, but she began to notice it…
Herb E. Smith, January 29, 2016
Herb Smith talks about the role Appalshop played as an internal, independent voice in the region. He says that he believes it was the youth culture in the…
Ron Short, February 12, 2016
Short discusses his career at Roadside Theater Company, focusing heavily on their quest to educate people on Appalachian culture as well as integrate other…
Frank Taylor, February 12, 2016
Taylor begins the interview by describing his family history and his connection to storytelling through his childhood. He then discusses the radical time of the…
Donna Porterfield, February 13,…
Donna Porterfield describes her career at Roadside Theater. She describes how she came to Roadside, as well as Roadside’s early touring days and the adventures…
Dudley Cocke, February 13, 2016
Dudley Cocke discusses many aspects of his life's work with Appalshop and Roadside Theater. The interview contains discussions on politics and policies that…
Jamie Haft, February 13, 2016
This interview follows Jamie Haft's journey toward activism. She explains that she did not always notice injustice. During college she became more aware of…
Alessandro Portelli, March 4, 2016
This interview explains how Alessandro Portelli became involved with Appalshop. He explains coming to America and what it was like. He explains his work and…
Tom Hansell, March 4, 2016
Tom Hansell, a former employee of Appalshop, Inc., discusses his time spent at the organization as the assistant public affairs and program manager as well as…
Scott Faulkner, March 9, 2016
Scott Faulkner discusses the ten years that he spent making films at Appalshop, Inc. in Whitesburg, Kentucky as a part of funding received by Bill Richardson…
Nick Slie, March 10, 2016
Nick Slie, the owner of the multi-disciplinary company Mondo Bizarro, discusses the founding of his company as well as the relationship with several other…
Lily Keber, March 14, 2016
Lily Keber, a film producer and director in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses her visual arts education as well as her origins in the mountains of North…
Andrew Garrison, March 15, 2016
Andrew Garrison, a former employee of Appalshop, Inc, discusses his time spent as a cameraman and filmmaker for the organization. He talks about the films he…
Anne Lewis, March 16, 2016
Anne Lewis, a filmmaker associated with Appalshop, Inc., discusses her life in filmmaking and finding her way to Appalachia from Washington, D.C. She talks…
Anne Lewis, March 17, 2016
Anne Lewis, a filmmaker associated with Appalshop, Inc., in a follow-up interview with Jeff Keith continues to discuss the films she made in the time that she…
Edward Wemytewa, March 20, 2016
Edward Wemytewa, a former collaborator with Roadside Theater, discusses channeling his Zuni heritage through storytelling. He talks about the immense changes in…
Arlene Goldbard, March 21, 2016
Arlene Goldbard, a consultant for community cultural development as well as a former leader for Neighborhood Arts Programs National Organizing Committee…
John Malpede, March 29, 2016
John Malpede, the founder of the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD) and former collaborator with Appalshop, Inc., discusses his time spent working with…
Henriette Brouwers, March 29, 2016
Henriette Brouwers, associate director of the Robert F. Kennedy Performance Project and the Los Angeles Poverty Department, discusses her childhood in the…
Julien Nitzberg, March 30, 2016
Julien Nitzberg, former Appalshop, Inc. intern and the maker of "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia", discusses growing up as a Jew in the Bronx in…
Robert Wisdom, April 1, 2016
Robert Wisdom, a popular actor in shows such as "The Wire" and "Supernatural", discusses the start of his career and how those events led him to Appalshop, Inc.…
Jim Webb, August 12, 2017
Webb talks about getting hired at WBTH radio station in Williamson, West Virginia and his first time on the radio being Santa Claus and reading letters from…
Sylvia Ryerson, October 19, 2017
Sylvia Ryerson, a former intern and radio producer for Appalshop, Inc.'s WMMT radio station, discusses her public school education, finding her way to music,…
Jack Willis, October 20, 2017
Jack Willis, a filmmaker responsible for films such as "Lay My Burden Down" and "Rich Land, Poor People", discusses his childhood and the beginnings of his…
Jack Wright, December 21, 2015
In this second interview with Jack Wright he continues his discussion of his role as an MP during the Vietnam War. He discusses both positive and negative…
Brett Ratliff, May 16, 2018
Brett Ratliff talks about his life, beginning with his childhood in the tiny coal town of Van Lear, Kentucky. Ratliff had pride in his small community and his…
Judi Jennings, May 11, 2018
Jeffrey A. Keith interviews Judi Jennings, an award-winning activist, director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and fundraiser for Appalshop, Inc. Jennings…
Judi Jennings, May 17, 2018
Jeffrey A. Keith interviews Judi Jennings, an Appalshop, Inc. board member, fund raiser, and the director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Jennings…
Caron Atlas, October 19, 2017
Caron Atlas, the director of the Arts & Democracy Project in New York and a former employee of Appalshop, Inc., discusses her time spent at the organization…