For The Wild

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share this conversation between Báyò Akómoláfé, Sa’ed Atshan, and Cecilie Surasky. Starting from the premise that all people belong and all lives are grievable, Bayo, Cecilie, and Sa’ed will explore how honoring each other’s grief may allow us to reclaim each other’s humanity and perhaps shed light on a path forward to belonging in Israel-Palestine, for Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and for all people around the world. Bayo, Sa’ed, and Cecilie will journey into what it might be like to glimpse at the world through tears: what visions are possible when we postpone the compulsion to see everything clearly?“The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò’s work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

“No organism is an island.” As Sandor Katz reminds us in this delightful and informative episode, all life on earth is deeply interdependent. Though modern food systems alienate us from our environments and from the ways, we cannot totally sever ourselves from the environments and nutrients that make life possible. Sandor shows that alienation and disconnection will not free us. Rather, settling into the overlapping and diverse entwinement of the more-than-human world may bring connection and sustenance in close relation to our food production. The story of humanity is embedded in our food, embedded in the daily tasks and practical measures that sustain us. This conversation bubbles over with wisdom, as Sandor shares stories and lessons from his decades of experience experimenting with the art of fermentation. Fermentation is the manifestation of biodiversity, and as Sandor emphasizes, the study of fermentation is as much a study of our own tastes and cultural transitions as it is a study of our environments. Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. He is the author of five books: Wild Fermentation; The Art of Fermentation; The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved; Fermentation as Metaphor; and his latest, Fermentation Journeys. Sandor's books, along with the hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world, have helped to catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, the New York Times calls him “one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene.” Sandor is the recipient of a James Beard award and other honors. For more information, check out his website www.wildfermentation.com.Music by Matthewdavid. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

In this week’s episode we tap deep into the trust, desire, intimacy, and vulnerability that come from relationality. Betty Martin offers her vast knowledge of bodywork, somatics, and consent to give listeners insight into what she calls “The Wheel of Consent,” a quadrant that details a practice of giving and receiving. Betty reminds us that access is a gift. No one is born with the knowledge of how to give and receive in the “perfect” way, rather we must learn and feel together – navigating boundaries and allowing ourselves to find what feels right. Intimacy is a deeply vulnerable act, and Betty discusses how we can create a sense of acceptance and safety as we root in our bodies rather than societal expectations.Throughout the conversation, Betty emphasizes that consent should be the baseline for interaction, not just in intimate relationships but in the world writ large. The questions we ask and the people we include in conversations about consent matter. Only in knowing our limits as individuals, as a society, and as a part of the more-than-human world can we find the true meaning of trusting ourselves, of tapping into generosity, and of comfort. Dr. Betty Martin has had her hands on people professionally for over 40 years, first as a Chiropractor and upon retiring from that practice, as a certified Surrogate Partner, Sacred Intimate, and Somatic Sex Educator. Her explorations in somatic-based therapy and practices informed her creation of the framework, The Wheel of Consent®. She wrote a book about it, called "The Art of Receiving and Giving: The Wheel of Consent", and travels the world teaching other practitioners how to use the practices and the model to keep their clients safe, and their sessions effective and satisfying.Music by Roehind and Vaughn Aed.Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

How can a relationship with one animal open the door to the depths of humanity? In this episode, returning guest Kurt Russo shares how he came to see the world through Tokitae, a Southern Resident Orca held captive in the Miami Seaquarium for decades. As he mourns Tokitae’s recent death, Kurt reflects on the ways nature gives us signs of the greater mysteries of life. This conversation is equally rooted in the material realities of protecting the Salish Sea, the Snake River, and the more-than-human kin that call those places home, and the spiritual questions that cruelty and disregard for the more-than-human provoke. How has humanity gotten to such a point? Kurt shares guided wisdom about the realities of commodification, ecocide, and the capacity of the human soul for intentional cruelty. How we fight against such darkness matters not just for humanity, but for all with whom we share this precious earth. Kurt Russo is currently the Executive Director of the Indigenous-led nonprofit, Se’Si’Le, that is dedicated to the application of ancestral knowledge to reimagine our relationship to the nature of nature. He worked for the Lummi Nation from 1978-2020 in the area of sacred sites and treaty rights. He also served as Executive Director of the Native American Lands Conservancy in California from 1998-2016 and was Senior Advisor to the Kumeyaay-Digueno Land Conservancy of southern California. He was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Florence R. Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values from 1987-2002. He has a BS and MS in Forestry and a PhD in History. He has worked abroad with Indigenous communities in their efforts to preserve their ancestral lands and knowledge in Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.For an extended version of this episode, join us at patreon.com/forthewildMusic by Francesca Heart and Julius Smack. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

Erin Manning discusses neurodiversity and challenging neurotypicality; integrating choreographers with neurodiversity; critiquing academia as a colonial institution; limitations of university legibility; para institutionality and Three Ecologies project; navigating anxiety, depression, and practice; exploring different economies and access.

Corrina Gould, a land rematriation advocate, discusses settler responsibility and reciprocity. Topics include reclaiming ancestral land in the Bay Area, relearning history for land restoration, settler responsibility and the Shoumi land tax, indigenous land trusts, preserving sacred shell mounds, and indigenous sovereignty and liberation.

Fariha Róisín, an expert on living in a body that has experienced trauma, shares timeless wisdom on healing and compassion. They discuss the contradictions of wellness, decoding illness as a conversation with our bodies, complex understandings of faith, love and spirituality in poetry, accepting queerness as a Muslim woman, and reflections on jealousy and self-reflection.

Perdita Finn, an expert in ancestry and magic, invites listeners into a world of mystery and faith. Topics include ancestral connections, the natural presence of magic in everyday moments, the wisdom of animals, the healing connection between humans and animals, the power of believing in magic and interconnected relationships, an eco-cidal culture, reflections on loneliness and ancient spirits, embracing the multitudes beyond gender and species, and the power of ancestral lineage.

Jacqueline Suskin, an author who uses her book A Year in Practice as a guide for finding inspiration throughout the seasons, discusses the connection between our individual spirits and the rhythms of the planet. She shares the power of poetry and connection with a timber baron, reflects on the complexities of community organizing, explores navigating urgency and confusion through art, and shares a poignant poem on the destruction caused by human hands.

Obi Kaufmann, an award-winning author focused on California's ecology, delves into the intersections of art and science. He shares compelling insights on the urgency of conservation, the transformative power of creativity, and the necessity of recognizing our deep connection to nature. Through discussions on rewilding, ecological wisdom, and the importance of imagination in preserving old growth forests, Obi paints a hopeful vision for California's future that intertwines human experience with the natural world.