Emergence Magazine Podcast

Discover how writer and activist Dara McAnulty explores finding joy in the unknown amidst ecological crises. Hear about his journey of writing, personal growth, and advocacy for understanding autism. Explore his profound connection to nature and winter landscapes, and delve into a poetic exploration of interconnectedness and existence.

Aboriginal scholar Tyson Yunkaporta discusses deep-time thinking and relational obligations, urging us to operate from a place of 'right relationship.' Topics include translating Aboriginal concepts of time, deep time diligence, intergenerational relationships, and the interconnectedness of memory, governance, and law. The conversation highlights the importance of preserving cultural laws for resilience and moving beyond superficial practices to confront fear and uncertainty.

Renowned mycologist Merlin Sheldrake and creative director Barney Steel discuss mycelial webs softening boundaries between bodies and nature. They explore the interconnectedness of science and art, the intertwined relationship between humans and plants, curiosity fueling inquiry, reevaluating intelligence in nature, and the role of mystery in cultivating wonder.

Taking us to the collapsing face of Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, author Elizabeth Rush works to free the ice’s agency from both historical tropes and the confines of her own preconceptions. Contemplating the ways our own future is increasingly entangled with that of Thwaites, Elizabeth listens for the voice of the glacier, anticipating a quick, ready kinship. But as she recognizes the importance of time—“ribbons, reams, centuries, millennia” of temporal investment—in attuning oneself to the Earth’s responses, she surrenders to the slow unfolding conversation between humans and the more-than-human world.Read the transcript.Photo by Elizabeth Rush. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Held at our Shifting Landscapes exhibition in December last year, this panel discussion, moderated by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, brought together environmental justice activist and Climate in Colour founder Joycelyn Longdon, award-winning Cambodian-American filmmaker Kalyanee Mam, and folk singer, song collector, and author Sam Lee to consider how we might rekindle awe and reciprocity by remembering ourselves as extensions of the changing Earth. Centering narratives of kinship amid the uncertainty of our time—and inviting the surprise of spontaneous, emergent song—each share ways in which their work opens spaces of connection with the living world.Read the transcript. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joanna Macy, an author and eco-philosopher, reflects on her childhood experiences on a farm, her anti-nuclear activism, and her ongoing work with deep ecology. She discusses the importance of love, courage, and connection during the climate crisis. Macy also explores the transformative power of despair and shares the impact of a book and a poem on her spiritual path.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Speaker at St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, explores the need for inner transformation, shifting perspectives, and embracing the Earth as our mother. He discusses the importance of creating sacred spaces and nurturing future generations, emphasizing love and connection with the dying, unraveling, and emerging world.

In this conversation, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee speaks with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Paul Salopek, who is a decade into a remarkable journey retracing, on foot, the migration pathway taken by the first humans out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago. Speaking to us from the Liaoning province in northeastern China, Paul shares how moving at three miles per hour has deepened his personal relationship to time. As he becomes attuned to what he terms "sacramental time," the boundaries between the physical and metaphysical begin to blur into an expansive experience of timelessness.Read the transcript.Sign up for our newsletter to hear more stories as they are released each week.Photo by Paul Salopek, National Geophraphic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Martin Shaw, a mythologist, takes us on a deep encounter with a living myth of a wild daughter falling in love with a bear. The podcast explores the power of myth, our connection to the wild, and the woman's journey filled with helpful gifts and challenges.

In our final podcast of the year, a special selection of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry offers nourishment for heart and spirit. Twenty-five years ago, Buddhist scholar and eco-philosopher Joanna Macy collaborated with award-winning poet Anita Burrows to translate Rilke’s seminal collection of poetry, The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, which explores the nature of God through divinely received prayers. In this reading, excerpted from the album Be Earth Now, produced by Fletcher Tucker at Gnome Life Records, Joanna and Anita recite some of these poems, reminding us of the ever-urgent call to love the world into being.Sign up for our newsletter to hear more stories as they are released each week.Cover artwork by Claire Collette. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices