Allow us to introduce the 2024 mini-series of letters and documents from the early days of HIV|AIDS. A late 20th century crisis. Most of the material is New Orleans in particular, Louisiana, and then the country at large. This mini-series is produced in partnership with the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana and I thank them for their diligence preserving history and for helping in this production.

Each mini launches at noon, Central time, on the following dates and remain available thereafter.

• • June 6 Mark Gonzalez, protest and ACT UP
  • Aug 8 Noel Twillbeck and Crescent Care
  • Oct 3 Brad Ott and underground publishing as activism
  • Dec 5 Aids Hospice, Pierre Rene “Peter” DeLancey & commentary by Hywel Sims.

This is a gently evolving series subject to change.

Listen to this clip from an interview with Jarret Lofstead whose role it was to wade through, and strategically process, thousands, and thousands, of pages of court documents building the Letters Read narrative for the Jospehine Louise Newcomb readings.

Lofstead is a writer/researcher and producer at The Bend Media + Productions. Whose recent release is the documentary film, George Dureau: New Orleans Artist.

Lofstead spends a fair amount of his career dealing with topics in the humanities. Including social justice and jurisprudince. Two prominent Letters Read themes.

Lofstead was instrumental in bringing information and perspective to the full program, Letters of Josephine Louise Newcomb performed live April 13, 2024, and available here.