Writings for the Mississippi. An Anthropocene River and part of the Temporary continent. project.
A short multimedia essay (text, image, sound) develops how the “precise” geographical location of a river’s source is a label attributed much significance across a range of disciplinary contexts. Yet, as the example of the Mississippi River itself asserts, the headwaters designation is typically one that is far from clear-cut. Despite this, the Mississippi’s touristically designated “source” remains a fixture on maps of North American territory and collective cultural consciousness alike, as well as serving as the jumping off point for a trip southward by Anthropocene River School researchers, students and journey makers.
Originally written in 2019, Head Waters at the Headwaters is included in Mississippi River Open School for Kinship and Social Exchange: Experimental Modes of Teaching and Learning for the Planetary Emergency, edited by Dio Cramer, John Kim, Jeremy Meckler and Rebecca Snedeker. Published by the University of Minnesota Press on 11 August 2026, the book brings together writing, art, interviews and teaching practices developed along the river. Book and publication details.