Podcast appearances and mentions of mimi pickering

Feb. 26, 2023 was the 51rst anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Flood, a coal mining disaster that killed 125 people and left 4000 homeless in this Logan County, WV community. This episode features audio from "Buffalo Creek Revisited," a 1985 documentary film produced by Mimi Pickering that looks at the impact of the disaster ten years after the flood, a story that is particularly relevant as many are questioning how, or if, Eastern Kentucky will recover after the devastating floods of July 2022. That is followed by a powerful remembrance of the disaster by survivor Billy Jack Dickerson from the 50th anniversary event held at Man High School on Feb 26, 2022.

Whitney Kimball Coe talks with filmmakers Dee Davis, Mimi Pickering, and Joel Cohen about their new half-hour documentary, East Kentucky Flood. They share why they felt compelled to gather and share stories of those who witnessed the July 2022 flooding that devastated the region that Davis and Pickering call home. "I think the intensity of the moment is powerful," Davis said. "People will be able to tell these stories for 50 years. They're not going to forget them. There is this urgency at the time, which is, 'I have seen something, mister, and I have to tell you this.' That's important to be someone who listens deeply to those stories because within them are just the basic components of being human." The Center for Rural Strategies film tells the story of the flood by those who endured it. The stories reveal not just what happened July 2022, but what lies ahead for communities across East Kentucky. The half -hour program will premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2023, on KET, Kentucky's public television network, and will air other times throughout the month of February. The video will be available for streaming on Thursday, February 16 at dailyyonder.com. Learn more about our guests and the documentary at https://ruralassembly.org/podcasts/everywhere-radio-flood-doc/

Feb. 26, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Flood in Logan County, WV. 125 people were killed and left 4000 homeless when a poorly constructed coal waste dam collapsed at the head of Buffalo Creek. This program features the soundtrack of Mimi Pickering's film about what happened and why, and a follow up focusing on the efforts to rebuild the communities after the disaster. Both films, The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man and Buffalo Creek Revisited, are available for rent or purchase from Appalshop.

In this episode (from July 25, 2019) we bring you updates and stories about changing regional & federal policies that could impact working families in central Appalachia. First, WMMT’s Sydney Boles speaks with Virginia congressman Morgan Griffith over his recent participation in a hearing on the black lung epidemic. Then, WMMT’s Mimi Pickering interviews Dustin Pugel, a policy analyst at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. Pugel talks about the potential impact that changes to state and federal food assistance programs could have on families in eastern Kentucky.

In this episode we’re exploring Appalachia’s complicated ongoing relationship to national media coverage. First, WMMT's Rachel Garringer chats with Appalshop staff: Ada Smith, Mimi Pickering, and Taylor Pratt about how the organization has produced media despite, and in spite, of oversimplified national stories about our home for 50 years. Then, we hear Garringer's recent interview with long-time NPR Reporter Howard Berkes, who talks about how technologies and conversations around journalism have shifted over the course of his nearly 40 year career; and shares a few favorite stories & tips for national reporters from his decade as NPR’s rural reporter.

Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative Executive Director Jeff Hawkins and staff members Dessie Bowling and Bernadette Carpenter describe proposals put forth by KVEC school districts to better serve disadvantaged rural students and improve the economy in Appalachian Kentucky. Recommendations come from "A Region's Way Forward," a call to action for achieving learner equity and school centered community reinvention in economically distressed eastern Kentucky. Mimi Pickering host, and along the way, you'll hear some stories from the Ohio Valley ReSource about innovative KVEC initiatives over the past couple years.

In this episode we bring you recent news from the Ohio Valley Resource on a proposed bill to shore up miners pension benefits and reinstate the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. Then, WMMT’s Mimi Pickering takes us back a gathering of business women in Harlan County KY in November 2018. We finish this episode with the first in a 6 part series. Hope Shorts: Wit & Wisdom on Race Class & Community Survival from Mount Hope WV - was produced by Michael and Carrie Kline.

In this episode we bring you two stories about local efforts to invest in our towns and communities, both recorded by WMMT’s Mimi Pickering. First we’ll learn about the recent Naloxone Training held at the Letcher County Health Department, which provided attendees with a free training on how to spot and respond to an opioid overdose, and upon completion of the training a free Naloxone nasal spray. In the second piece we learn about the first ever Great Mountain Mega Mural Fest held in Harlan County, KY in early August.

In this episode we remember tragic news from our region’s past, and we explore current news about public health crises in our mountains, and of new economic development projects. February 26 marks the 46th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Disaster in Logan County, West Virginia. We begin our program with a piece from the WMMT Archives produced by Mimi Pickering. Then, we bring you two pieces from the Ohio Valley Resource. The first focuses on the unprecedented Black Lung Epidemic in Central Appalachia today. The second brings us information about a new data analysis system being used to address the opioid epidemic in West Virginia. Finally, Rich Kirby brings us the story of a new restaurant and hotel in St. Paul, Virginia which aims to increase economic development through tourism in the region.

This week's program features the life and legacy of KY born Civil Rights activist, journalist and educator Anne Braden. This audio program was produced by Mimi Pickering in 2014 based on the 2012 documentary she and Anne Lewis made called "Anne Braden: Southern Patriot." Braden is pictured on the left with Rosa Parks on the right.

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) move to repeal Net Neutrality and classification of Broadband Internet as a Title II Telecommunications Service could have significant impact on rural America, where the digital divide is already the largest. In this edition of Mountain Talk, host Mimi Pickering explores potential impacts with economist Roberto Gallardo from Mississippi State University Extension Services and Christopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. We also hear from a 2015 interview with Edyael Casaperalta, representing the Rural Broadband Working Group of the National Rural Assembly, on the 2015 reclassification of broadband as a Title II Telecommunications Service and its potential to reduce the digital divide, increase competition, and protect consumers. Finally, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn talks about her work on the FCC to increase access and affordability for people of color, low income, and rural communities. Her term at the FCC will soon end but she promises to continue to speak for those who are not typically represented and calls on all individuals and organizations to make their voices heard at the FCC at every opportunity.

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) move to repeal Net Neutrality and classification of Broadband Internet as a Title II Telecommunications Service could have significant impact on rural America, where the digital divide is already the largest. In this edition of Mountain Talk, host Mimi Pickering explores potential impacts with economist Roberto Gallardo from Mississippi State University Extension Services and Christopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. We also hear from a 2015 interview with Edyael Casaperalta, representing the Rural Broadband Working Group of the National Rural Assembly, on the 2015 reclassification of broadband as a Title II Telecommunications Service and its potential to reduce the digital divide, increase competition, and protect consumers. Finally, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn talks about her work on the FCC to increase access and affordability for people of color, low income, and rural communities. Her term at the FCC will soon end but she promises to continue to speak for those who are not typically represented and calls on all individuals and organizations to make their voices heard at the FCC at every opportunity.

-Mimi Pickering and Benny Becker report on how the digital divide is affecting one east Kentucky community and how they’re working to remedy the situation through working toward access to true broadband internet services. -The Kentucky Homebirth Coalition is a grassroots organization who have been working diligently to pass legislation to license certified professional midwives to fill some of the void when it comes to access to prenatal and birthing care throughout the state. Kelli Haywood shares the story.

If you are a fan of cooking, music, and culture, listen in as noted writer Ronni Lundy reads and discusses her latest, "Victuals," a gorgeous book exploring Appalachia's intertwined foodways and heritage. This edition of WMMT's Mountain Talk Monday features her December reading at Appalshop, and an appearance on WMMT’s Honky Tonk Jukebox with hosts Elizabeth Sanders and Mimi Pickering. If you are interested in the role farming and/or artisan foods could play in our local economy, Lundy has plenty to say.

Journalist, critic of music and food, and Appalachian foodways writer Ronni Lundy visited Appalshop Gallery in early December 2016 to read and discuss her newest cookbook - Victuals. This podcast features that reading, and her prior appearance on WMMT's Honky Tonk Jukebox show with radio's Elizabeth Sanders and Mimi Pickering.

In this episode of Mountain Talk Monday learn more about the EPIC Program – Enhancing Programs for IT Certification that is being offered through the KCTCS community colleges in our area! Guest host Mimi Pickering speaks with Tracie Davis, David C. Dixon, and students Heather Smith and Mary Wilson who describe the many opportunities available to get job training and further your education.

In this episode of Mountain Talk Monday learn more about the EPIC Program - Enhancing Programs for IT Certification that is being offered through the KCTCS community colleges in our area! Guest host Mimi Pickering speaks with Tracie Davis, David Dixon, and students who are participating in or are graduates of the program.

-WMMT reporter Kelli Haywood explores the impact that the region’s opioid addiction problems are having on our ability to transition the economy now and the ramifications for the future. -Aaron Payne, from the Ohio Valley ReSource, gives the latest update on CARA (Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act). -In celebration of what would have been the 92nd birthday of Kentucky Civil Rights activist, Anne Braden, filmmaker and reporter Mimi Pickering shares stories of Braden’s early work and experiences from the film she made along with Anne Lewis – Anne Braden: Southern Patriot.

On June 22, 2016, Gov. Matt Bevin presented Kentucky HEALTH, a comprehensive plan to transform Kentucky’s Medicaid program, which he says will empower individuals to improve their health and well-being while simultaneously ensuring Medicaid’s long-term fiscal sustainability in the commonwealth. See the proposed changes here – http://chfs.ky.gov/…/0/62216KentuckyHEALTHWaiverProposal.pdf As a means of receiving public feedback, the administration held a series of public forums. WMMT reporter Mimi Pickering attended the forum in Hazard, Kentucky. This episode of Mountain Talk Monday presents the overview of that forum. Many Kentucky citizens are concerned that the proposed changes will be a drawback to the positive changes we’ve seen in coalfields, Kentucky and for those previously uninsured Kentuckians. The public comment period ends on July 22nd @ 5pm. Written comments on the Kentucky HEALTH waiver proposal can be mailed to: Commissioner Stephen Miller Department for Medicaid Services 275 E. Main Street Frankfort, KY 40621 Or via email to kyhealth@ky.gov.

-Kara Lofton, health reporter for West Virginia Public Radio, speaks with UMWA members and others about the recent rally in Lexington, Kentucky and what the stalemate in Congress surrounding shoring up retirement benefits for miners and their families will mean for their future. -Hear audio recordings of the late balladeer and organizer Sarah Ogan Gunning and those close with her and her family from Mimi Pickering’s 1988 Appalshop Films release – Dreadful Memories. -The Cowan Creek Mountain Music School just ended its 15th year with a record attendance. WMMT reporter Kelli Haywood covers how the music school, Cowan Community Center, and others are exploring a new way of organizing the community for the greater good of all – the Letcher County Culture Hub.

WMMT’s Mimi Pickering traveled to Lexington to talk with author Katherine J. Black in her home and garden about her book Row by Row: Talking with Kentucky Gardeners, and how the idea for a simple oral history project turned into a book that is truly an illustration of how growing gardens of all types ultimately brings new levels of personal growth for those who choose to take it on

Crystal Wilkinson is a well known Kentucky author, owner of Wild Fig Books & Coffee in Lexington KY, and a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. In this edition of Mountain Talk Monday, host Kelli Haywood with the help of WMMT’s Mimi Pickering interviews Crystal on the eve of her upcoming book release, The Birds of Opulence. Kelli and Crystal delve deep into what it means to be Appalachian and to write about Appalachia for the contemporary audience. Crystal tells the story of Frank X. Walker’s coining of the term “Affrilachian” and how it has grown from representing a very specific group of people to being the identifying term for those contributing to the world stage in a wide variety of ways. Crystal also reads from her newest book which will be released in early March. Find Crystal where she is the Appalachian Writer in Residence at Berea College, or at Wild Fig Books & Coffee in person or on the web. Come to Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival here on the WMMT/Appalshop grounds in June of this year to visit the Wild Fig Pop-Up Bookstore display!

Episode #44 of our Community Broadband [no-glossary]Bits[/no-glossary] podcast expands on our story exploring a major victory over bad AT&T-driven legislation in Kentucky. We welcome Mimi Pickering of Appalshop and Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council. We discuss why the AT&T-authored bill to gut consumer protections was bad for Kentucky and how a terrific coalition … Continue reading "Kentucky Coalition Takes Down AT&T Bill to Remove Consumer Phone Protections – Community Broadband Bits #44" ★ Support this podcast ★

An Appalshop Films Documentary Anne Braden: Southern Patriot is a first person documentary about the extraordinary life of this American civil rights leader. Braden was hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail as a white southerner whose rejection of her segregationist upbringing was “eloquent and prophetic. Ostracized as a “red” in the 1950s, she fought for an inclusive movement community and mentored three generations of social justice advocates. Braden’s story explores not only the dangers of racism and political repression but also the power of a woman’s life spent in commitment to social justice. Anne Lewis makes documentary films about social actions, human rights, labor, environmental justice and cultural democracy. She came out of a movement to make media that creates opportunity for social change. Mimi Pickering documentaries often feature women as principle storytellers, focus on injustice and inequity, and explore the efforts of grassroots people to deal with community problems and work for change. You can see why these women were a perfect combination to come together in order to  make Anne Braden: Southern Patriot. Anne Braden: Southern Patriot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvmasu_ was produced and directed by Appalshop filmmakers Anne Lewis and Mimi Pickering. http://appalshop.orgAnne Braden, 81, Activist in Civil Rights and Other Causes, Dies http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/national/17braden.html

An Appalshop Films Documentary Anne Braden: Southern Patriot is a first person documentary about the extraordinary life of this American civil rights leader. Braden was hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail as a white southerner whose rejection of her segregationist upbringing was “eloquent and prophetic. Ostracized as a “red” in the 1950s, she fought for an inclusive movement community and mentored three generations of social justice advocates. Braden’s story explores not only the dangers of racism and political repression but also the power of a woman’s life spent in commitment to social justice. Anne Lewis makes documentary films about social actions, human rights, labor, environmental justice and cultural democracy. She came out of a movement to make media that creates opportunity for social change. Mimi Pickering documentaries often feature women as principle storytellers, focus on injustice and inequity, and explore the efforts of grassroots people to deal with community problems and work for change. You can see why these women were a perfect combination to come together in order to  make Anne Braden: Southern Patriot. Anne Braden: Southern Patriot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvmasu_ was produced and directed by Appalshop filmmakers Anne Lewis and Mimi Pickering. http://appalshop.orgAnne Braden, 81, Activist in Civil Rights and Other Causes, Dies http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/17/national/17braden.html