When writer Jim Stiles moved to Moab in the 1970s, this corner of the rural West had endured decades of boom and bust and was swiftly approaching an identity crisis. For well over three decades, Stiles opined on this very crisis with essays, photos, memories and lamentations. His alternative publication, The Canyon Country Zephyr, fostered a spirited community that often discussed what it means to 'cling hopelessly to the past.' Stiles passed away March 11th at his home in Coldwater, Kansas. 

In 2007, KZMU’s Christy Williams-Dunton spoke with Stiles at his then-home in Monticello, Utah, on the occasion of the publication of his book, Brave New West: Morphing Moab at the Speed of Greed. Williams-Dunton shares this archival audio for the latest This Week in Moab. During the episode, she eulogizes Stiles as an “iconoclastic, complex person with a great sense of humor.”

// Music in this episode is 'As Colorful As Ever' by Broke For Free