Headed Upstream

Description

In 1984, Jack Loeffler produced a radio series entitled “Southwest Sound Collage.” His primary listener was his great friend author Edward Abbey who said, “Loeffler, this radio series should be a book.” Thus, “Headed Upstream” first appeared in 1989 shortly after Abbey’s death. The challenging interviews that appear herein (Edward Abbey, Andrew Weil, John Nichols, Stewart Udall, and Gary Snyder, to name a few) reflect many points of view from anarchist to Marxist, from environmental to philosophical, from Beat to historical. Each is highly individual and all reflect deep consideration for the myriad factors that have shaped our milieu. In 2009, Loeffler’s close friend Gary Snyder said, “This book should be re-published. It’s important.” Indeed, it is an important presentation of human consciousness at its best. Jack Loeffler and his wife Katherine live near Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a writer, aural historian, radio producer, sound collage artist, and lecturer. He has worked extensively with indigenous and traditional cultures throughout the American West, Mexico and beyond. His books include “La Musica de los Viejitos: The Hispano Folk Music of the Rio Grande del Norte”; “Adventures with Ed: A Portrait of Abbey”; “Survival Along the Continental Divide: An Anthology of Interviews”; and “Healing the West: Voices of Culture and Habitat.” He has produced over three hundred documentary programs for public radio, co-produced or otherwise collaborated on documentary films, written scores of articles, and produced sound collages for many institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Camino Real International Heritage Center, and the New Mexico History Museum at the Palace of the Governors. He is a project director for The Lore of the Land, Inc., a 501c3 organization founded by his late friend Lee (Mrs. Stewart) Udall. He was awarded a 2008 New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Edgar Lee Hewett Award for Outstanding Service to the Public by the New Mexico Historical Society, and in 2009 was honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure.”