For The Wild - END OF YEAR UPDATE 2023

00:00:00.000 We'll be right back.

00:00:30.000 hello for the wild community this week we are taking a pause from regularly scheduled episodes

00:00:48.240 to reflect in the spirit of the winter solstice this past year has been one of beautiful synthesis

00:00:54.200 We have released over 40 new episodes and conversations highlighting wisdom from folks

00:00:59.900 like Andrea Gibson, Stephen Jenkinson, Rachel Cargill, Trisha Hersey, and so many more.

00:01:06.200 We've published zines on gratitude, grief, and ritual. On Patreon, we've published extended

00:01:12.140 episodes, had lovely chats, posted giveaways, and so much more. It's difficult to express

00:01:19.200 just how proud I am of this body of work and how grateful I am for the community of listeners that

00:01:25.780 support it. Thank you. We released our first episode in September of 2014, and 2024 will mark

00:01:35.640 our 10th year of episodes. Looking back at this decade of work, it's incredible to see the

00:01:42.940 conversations, actions, and connections that have been sparked by For the Wild. And I can say on a

00:01:49.120 personal note, these conversations have grown me. If you haven't had a chance, take a look back

00:01:55.640 through our catalog of episodes to find evergreen content from our library that spans hundreds of

00:02:00.600 guests, topics, and heartfelt conversations over the years. As we reflect on this past year and

00:02:07.320 many before it, our team and I are reminded that For the Wild is in a constant state of becoming.

00:02:15.040 throughout the years we have grown and shifted responding to the provocations of our guests

00:02:22.160 the insight of our audience and the challenges of our times at our core we believe that media

00:02:28.720 should be slow rooted and studying our offerings at for the wild are meant to ground and bring our

00:02:36.060 audience insight that feels meaningful beyond fast-paced news cycles and the attention economy

00:02:42.780 that thrives on distraction. In 2024, we are looking forward to deeply embracing our slow

00:02:49.580 media approach, bringing you well-researched, thoughtful, and soul-provoking episodes and

00:02:55.380 continuing to grow our podcast library as a resource for finding solace, rest, and contemplation

00:03:02.960 in these times. We also have some very dear projects we'll be focusing on beyond the podcast,

00:03:09.640 broadening and deepening our ethos of land protection inquiry and respite we cannot wait

00:03:17.060 to bring them to you so stay tuned for some very exciting updates on that throughout the year

00:03:22.040 in an effort to continue this work and support our small team we would deeply appreciate your

00:03:28.100 support as a grassroots independent media producer listener support is one of the main

00:03:34.340 funding sources. If you have found value or meaning in our offerings, please consider making

00:03:40.580 a one-time donation at forthewild.world slash support, or by joining us on Patreon at patreon.com

00:03:48.520 slash forthewild.

00:04:04.340 with this we want to extend our continual gratitude to you our patreon community your

00:04:11.420 commitment to our mission is vital we'd love for even more of you to join us on patreon before the

00:04:17.580 year ends we've recently launched a new set of tiers on patreon aimed at creating a library of

00:04:23.060 deeply rooted resources for those who sign up at two dollars a month the stacks tier offers

00:04:28.760 supporters transcripts, music playlists, access to gift guide with product discounts and extended

00:04:34.500 episodes. At $5 a month, the study tier offers everything from the stacks tier plus giveaways,

00:04:40.980 a monthly field guide scene, and access to seasonal online gatherings. At $25 a month,

00:04:46.960 the archive tier offers everything from the previous tiers plus priority for Q&A and gatherings

00:04:52.920 and producer credits in the field guide scene at $100 a month the living libraries tier offers

00:05:00.080 everything from previous tiers plus a contribution on your behalf of $25 a month to our current land

00:05:06.240 protection project and seasonal letters from the land thank you again for tuning in and for showing

00:05:13.440 up for us in so many ways throughout this year and across for the wild's history for the wild is so

00:05:19.180 much more than what you see on the surface. And I wanted to take a moment to honor all of the

00:05:25.460 behind-the-scenes work that makes this organization possible. Your support means that as a community

00:05:30.640 of artists, writers, producers, and organizers, we can come together to alchemize work that

00:05:37.040 hopefully means as much to you as it does to us. It is such a dream come true.

00:05:43.140 well i'll let a few members of our team speak to this themselves today here they share how

00:05:50.980 they nourish for the wild productions and how they have been finding nourishment throughout

00:05:55.440 the years thank you so much for listening

00:06:13.140 Hi, For the Wild community. I'm Julia Jackson. I'm based in Washington, DC. And I nourish the

00:06:21.880 For the Wild podcast and programming in general as a co-director. And as a writer, I write the

00:06:28.000 scripts and a lot of the comms that you see. And it's just such a delight to be able to do this

00:06:33.940 for work. And I'm so grateful to all of you for your continued support of the podcast that makes

00:06:39.540 this all so possible. As a team, we've been reflecting on the practices and traditions

00:06:46.500 that have nourished us through 2023 as we take a look back on the year. And I wanted to share that

00:06:52.740 the practice that has really sustained and nourished me through the year has been this

00:06:58.160 almost sort of worshiping of the written word through journaling and reading and just really

00:07:03.460 taking the time to sit down and spend time reflecting and reading. It's been a really

00:07:10.640 beautiful practice for me this year and something that's definitely sustained me through all of the

00:07:15.940 transitions that 2023 has brought. Regardless of what's going on, I can always turn to a book or

00:07:22.340 to my journal and that's been so nourishing for me. I hope that you all are taking some joy in

00:07:29.020 whatever practices sustain you at the end of the year and are looking forward to 2024.

00:07:34.860 Again, thank you so much. I'm so, so grateful for this community.

00:07:51.160 Hello, For the Wild listeners. My name is Bailey Bigger. I am based out of Charleston,

00:07:56.720 South Carolina on the East Coast. I am new to the For the Wild team this year, and I assist with

00:08:03.440 running social media and creating content for our posts. I feel honored to be part of such an

00:08:09.740 amazing team of earthlings, and I'm happy to help nourish this cause in any way that I can.

00:08:16.040 One way I have nourished myself over 2023 is spending time with the animals, whether that's

00:08:24.120 feeding the chickens or taking the horses out for a ride back in my hometown or sitting with

00:08:29.660 my dog or cat just observing the way they communicate or show affection. Sometimes it's

00:08:36.100 bird watching or going to look for dolphins out on the water. We have so much to learn from our

00:08:43.160 animal relatives and seeing the way they live forces me to slow down and remember my genetic

00:08:49.140 makeup, too. I remember to hibernate, too, and flow with the natural cycles of our earth.

00:08:57.120 I'm wishing you all a happy new year, and I'm excited for what's to come in 2024.

00:09:02.680 for. Hi, For the Wild community. This is Jackson Kruf. I'm the special projects producer for For

00:09:22.160 the Wild, and I'm based in Southern California. I nourish For the Wild by providing a lot of the

00:09:28.780 musical curation for our episodes, making playlists for our zines, and really just thinking about

00:09:35.020 the sonic accompaniment to these vital conversations and reading experiences we're

00:09:39.840 trying to provide all of you. I also am part of the team thinking about longer form projects

00:09:47.480 for 2024, multi-part audio series, films, books, vinyl records, all projects that continue to build

00:09:59.320 off of the conversations Ayana has been having for 10 years that really reflect on what we can

00:10:06.440 contribute to land protectors all around the world. This year I've started a new ritual that

00:10:14.080 has been very nourishing, which is just practicing gratitude in prayer before each meal.

00:10:21.520 As someone who grew up in an atheist household where prayer wasn't a very common practice,

00:10:27.720 it has been really meaningful to think about all of the organisms, all of the beings,

00:10:34.540 all of the laborers, all of the farmers, all of the people and cultures that have contributed to

00:10:41.820 the food that I'm about to eat with my loved ones. And not just showing gratitude to those

00:10:48.760 entities and those collaborators and those lineages, but also spending some time thinking

00:10:55.340 about the people who are struggling to find food that day and sending prayer their way.

00:11:01.880 So as the year comes to a close, I wish you all nourishment, gratitude and prayer headed into 2024.

00:11:31.880 Hi, this is Evan Tenenbaum.

00:11:34.160 As one of the audio editors here, I nourish for the wild by supporting the rhythm, flow, and cadence of the conversations that Ayana has with our guests.

00:11:44.500 I like to sometimes think of the creation of each episode as akin to baking bread.

00:11:51.380 Ayana and our guests have put all the ingredients in, mixed it up, and set the dough aside to rest.

00:11:56.540 And that's when myself and the rest of the team come in, lightly kneading the dough for a second time, slightly reshaping it into a loaf form, and then baking the bread and helping it rise and solidify until it's perfectly golden brown, flaky, and ready to be enjoyed by all of you.

00:12:14.640 This year, I have found nourishment in working with wood.

00:12:18.780 Developing a new skill has been humbling and invigorating,

00:12:22.240 and discovering the traits and personalities of different tree species has been fascinating and mystifying.

00:12:28.720 So when I'm not here baking audio bread, there's a good chance I'm next door in my shop covered in wood chips.

00:12:35.740 Thank you all for being a part of this community and for your ongoing support.

00:12:40.520 You really do make this all possible.

00:12:47.780 hey for the wild community my name is jose aljandro rivera i am one of the producer editors

00:13:05.940 on the team and nourish for the wilds podcast by offering my listening ear open-hearted attention

00:13:14.000 to detail and various audio production skills. Given the substance of each interview that Ayana,

00:13:22.340 Erica, Julia, and the guests co-create, I help shape and finalize what eventually listeners hear

00:13:30.160 across the web, radio, and extended episode versions. Introductions, the rhythm of questions,

00:13:37.160 and the selection of music breaks are part of the garden soup that I tend to.

00:13:42.520 I'm also very jazzed to share with you some exciting intermediate projects we are cooking up for you in the coming year.

00:13:51.820 Over the past four or five years, I have been deeply nourished by being on the plant path.

00:13:59.780 From learning herbalism and medicine making to growing food and seed saving, even simply being comforted by a warm cup of tea.

00:14:09.640 these practices all connect me to the land my ancestors the wisdom of change and the wider web

00:14:17.800 of beings i think this work with plants has invited me to cultivate a an expanded sense

00:14:24.420 of listening which beyond sound feels like you know an interconnected coming into presence

00:14:30.940 similarly with plants to be woven in this way with the amazing for the wild team the inspiring

00:14:38.780 guests, and especially you, our community, is to collectively tend to a rich soil from

00:14:45.420 which new life can grow.

00:14:48.000 And like these beans that are being shelled, may this work be a seed for you in these times

00:14:55.200 that can compost the past and invite in the present and wildly sprawl out into a yummy

00:15:02.420 future for all of us.

00:15:03.780 I'm so grateful to be part of this work

00:15:07.780 and to you, our listeners

00:15:09.740 thanks so much

00:15:11.440 thanks for listening to this end of the year update

00:15:25.620 of For the Wild

00:15:26.640 the environmental recordings and music

00:15:30.640 that you heard today were by Proximia

00:15:33.140 and you also heard the voices of our team members.

00:15:37.280 I encourage you to sign up for our newsletter

00:15:39.620 where you can stay tuned to all of the amazing offerings

00:15:43.040 and everything For the Wild.

00:15:45.880 And also you can read our co-director,

00:15:48.260 Erica Ekrom's end of the year update there as well.

00:15:54.040 For the Wild is created by an incredible team.

00:15:57.780 Ayanna Young, Erica Ekrom, Julia Jackson,

00:16:01.080 Bailey Bigger, Jackson Krupp, Evan Tenenbaum, and Jose Alejandro Rivera.

00:16:31.080 so

For The Wild - December 20, 2023

END OF YEAR UPDATE 2023

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