Interview with Mimi Pickering, September 20, 2015

Partial Transcript: It is September 20th, 2015 and this is Jeff Keith and Rayna Gellert with Mimi Pickering.

Segment Synopsis: Mimi Pickering is introduced. She talks about Shelby Lee Adams filming his family and how she herself became involved with the project which led to the film "Lee Banks, Mountain Farmer."

Keywords: Bill Richardson; Childers family; Editing; Filming; Grandfathers; Grandmothers; Hobart Ison; Photographs; Shelby Lee Adams; Snakes; Wendy Ewald

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Documentary films.; Families.; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: And so this is, this is interesting. When we last spoke, um, another thing I had asked you was where you were when you first heard about, um, Buffalo Creek flood.

Segment Synopsis: In a continuation of a conversation from her previous interview, Pickering talks more about Appalshop's documentation of the disaster on Buffalo Creek which led to the film "The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man." She talks about conducting early interviews with the survivors who were living in the local high school.

Keywords: Arrested; Ben Zickafoose; Citizens hearings; David Miller; Disaster relief; Disasters; Emotions; Equipment; Filming; Footage; Gibbs Kinderman; Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr.; High school; Interviews; Reactions; Relocation; Roland Brown; Shirley Marcum; Tragedy

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Coal mine accidents; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: I guess then to understand the timeline it, it sounds like you came back and for six months were still working on these other projects.

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about interviews conducted for the film with people associated with the coal industry. She talks about the coal company's stance on taking responsibility for the flood. She talks about changes in the union after elections were held and Arnold Miller became president.

Keywords: "Coal Patrol"; Arnold Miller; Black Lung Association; Blame; Bureaucrats; Coal companies; Coal operators; Disabled Widows and Miners of West Virginia; Interviews; Jock Yablonski; Miners for Democracy; Palo Alto (Calif.); Projects; Responsibility; Tom Bethel; Tony Boyle; Union elections; United Mine Workers of America (UMWA); W. A. Waller

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal mine accidents; Coal mines and mining--Management; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.; United Mine Workers of America

Partial Transcript: Um, so, uh, d--the, the union isn't a, a large presence in the, in the film.

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about the connections made in the film between Buffalo Creek and other mine accidents in places like Wales. She talks more about the coal company not admitting responsibility for the flood, and discusses the local people's feelings about the issue.

Keywords: Blame; Connections; Dams; Disasters; Interviews; Press conferences; Protests; Stockholders meetings; Survivors; Wales

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Coal mine accidents; Coal mines and mining--Management; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: So I guess what I'm trying to piece together in my mind is, is, uh, the filming, like when you stopped gathering footage and said, "Okay, I've got to start editing this."

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about the process of simultaneously filming and editing parts of the film, as well as the equipment that was available at the time.

Keywords: Editing; Equipment; Filming; Footage; Interviews; Process; Storylines; The Mountain Eagle (Newspaper)

Subjects: Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Documentary films.; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: So it was, uh--it's dated as a release for se--in seventy-five.

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about some of the screenings that were held when the film was released. She talks about the feedback they received for the film, including a letter from students at the University of Hawaii, as well as the reactions of various members of the coal industry.

Keywords: "Strip Mining in Appalachia" Consolidated Coal Company; Blame; Coal companies; Coal industry; Divesting; Feedback; Film screenings; Highlander Research and Education Center; Impact; Letters; Mike Clark; Reactions; Responsibility; University of Hawaii; Updates; West Virginia Public Television

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Coal mine accidents; Coal mines and mining--Management; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: So it's amazing to think about all that we've just discussed and, and, and that you showed up in seventy-one...

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about some of the activism she was involved with while working for Appalshop. She talks about the relationship between Appalshop and Barbara Kopple who made "Harlan County, USA" and felt that Appalshop was not involved enough in protesting the coal industry.

Keywords: Anne Lewis; Barbara Kopple; Brookside Strike; Filming; Miners For Democracy; Relationships; United Mine Workers of America; Violence

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Coal Miners' Strike, Harlan County, Ky., 1973; Coal miners--Labor unions; Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region; Documentary films.; Harlan County USA (Motion picture); Motion pictures--Production and direction.; Political activists.; Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining

Partial Transcript: But I am, I do get kind of--I am curious that--about how with Bill leaving and the CFWC funding disappearing--

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about some of the sources of funding for Appalshop projects, including money from Duke Power Company which funded a film about the Everetts coal camp, and a grant from the NEA which funded a film about John Jacob Niles. She talks about how people typically began working for Appalshop.

Keywords: "Quilting Women"; "Sourwood Mountain Dulcimers"; Arts in Education National Program (AENP); Barbara Kopple; Bill Richardson; Community Film Workshop Council (CFWC); Contract work; Dee Davis; Don Baker; Duke Power Company; Employees; Everetts Coal Camp; Filming; Funding; Grants; Hiring; John Jacob Niles; National Education Association (NEA); Politics; Resources; Roadside Theater; Students; “Jack Tales”

Subjects: Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Documentary films.; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: But I also during that time period, um, a couple of us, Marty Newell and Tony Sloan and I all started doing the University Without Walls program.

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about the University Without Walls program which provided access to college educations to many people in Appalachia. She talks about her own involvement in the program. She discusses Appalshop's use of a Ford Foundation grant to distribute their films for use in schools.

Keywords: Antioch College; College educations; Educational films; Experiential learning; Film distribution; Ford Foundation; Funding; G.E.D.; Helen Lewis; Life experience; River Farm; Work-study programs

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Documentary films.; Education, Higher; Education--Appalachian Region; Women--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Um, I'm c--a, as an aside something I've, I've thought about a lot is how much of a youth culture Appalshop was at, at its--

Segment Synopsis: Pickering mentions some of her mentors at Appalshop and discusses how people from Appalachian Studies programs influenced her work at Appalshop. She talks about the tension between Appalachian Studies programs and activist organizations in the area.

Keywords: "History of Appalachia" series; Academics; Agendas; Alliance for Appalachia (Appalachian Alliance); Archie Green; Bill Richardson; Cratis Williams; Educational films; Films; Floods; Funding; Grassroots organizations; Helen Lewis; Influences; Jim Wayne Miller; Mentorship; Music; National Endowment for the Humanities; Politics; Ron Eller; Sarah Ogan Gunning; Scholars; Tensions; Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA); Wilma Dykeman; Youth culture

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; College students--Social conditions; Documentary films.; Motion pictures--Production and direction.; Political activists.; Universities and colleges--Public relations

Partial Transcript: Um, and this gets to where I'd love to kind of end and that's kind of talking about the early eighties and "Buffalo Creek Revisited" so that we have both of those in the same interview.

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about how the film "Buffalo Creek Revisited" was envisioned and funded. She talks about how she came in contact with many of the people in the film, including Gail Amburgey who reads a poem in the film, as well as Congressman Ken Hechler.

Keywords: Congressman Ken Hechler; Contacts; Disasters; Filming; Footage; Funding; Gail Amburgey; Newspapers; Poems; Television; United Mine Workers of America

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Coal mine accidents; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.

Partial Transcript: I want to ask though, it, it, it kind of--be, beyond getting--reopening all of these issues and making them in some ways more, uh, intensely stated...

Segment Synopsis: Pickering talks about the changing attitudes of the people of Buffalo Creek in terms of participating in the second film and discussing the disaster. She talks about reactions to the film. She briefly describes the atmosphere at Appalshop during the 1970s and 1980s. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Bob Wise; Buildings; Interviews; Land ownership; Message; Permanent; Reactions; Remembering; Responses; Screenings

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachians (People) in motion pictures; Appalshop, Inc.; Coal mine accidents; Documentary films.; Floods--Kentucky; Motion pictures--Production and direction.