Emergence Magazine Podcast

Amitav Ghosh, an acclaimed scholar and author, delves into the intersections of history, culture, and environmental issues. He discusses his latest work, highlighting the insidious belief that the Earth is inert, which has fueled violent colonial projects and capitalism. Ghosh emphasizes the importance of storytelling in recognizing the Earth as sacred and alive. He critiques modern myths of independence from nature, connects colonial legacies to today’s environmental crises, and advocates for inclusive narratives that foster a deeper relationship with our world.

Lydia Millet, an acclaimed American novelist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, discusses her poignant short story "Thylacine". The narrative intertwines the profound grief of a man mourning his mother and his unexpected connection with the last Tasmanian tiger in a declining zoo. Millet explores themes of loss, compassion, and the lingering pain of colonization in Australia. With powerful imagery, she reflects on solitude, emotional complexities, and the urgent need for connection and care amidst overwhelming sorrow.

In December last year, Cambodian-American filmmaker Kalyanee Mam’s short film Lost World screened at our Shifting Landscapes exhibition in London. Kalyanee’s films tenderly document the changing cultural and ecological landscapes of her homeland, and in Lost World she shares the story of a community in Koh Sralau whose livelihoods are threatened as the mangrove forests they depend on are ruthlessly mined for sand to build an “eco-park” in Singapore. In this conversation, recorded live at the exhibition, Emergence executive editor Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee speaks with Kalyanee about her years-long process of creating the film, and the intimate relationships she holds with people and land that allow her to tell powerful, and often heartbreaking, stories of changing landscapes from a place of humility and connection. Read the transcript Watch Kalyanee’s short film Lost World and read her companion essay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, a Sufi teacher and keynote speaker on spiritual ecology, delves into our forgotten kinship with the Earth. He emphasizes the importance of memory, praise, and spirit in reawakening this bond. Vaughan-Lee advocates for recognizing nature as a sacred entity and highlights how prayer can deepen our connection with the environment. He calls for a communal approach to healing through collective praise, suggesting that these spiritual practices are vital for addressing contemporary ecological and social crises.

This short story, written by Andri Snær Magnason for our third print edition, follows an architect in Reykjavík grappling with the growing discord between his creativity and a capitalist reality. Laying bare the ways narratives of control and human supremacy can manifest in the physical objects we make, “Giantstone” asks us to consider what new stories could begin to shape our inner and outer worlds. Will we remain stuck in our humancentric philosophies, or will our art come to reflect a way of life that keeps and cares for the Earth?Read the short story.Watch the film The Last Ice Age, by Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, the third in our four-part Shifting Landscapes documentary film series.Illustration by Juan Bernabeu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this insightful conversation, Andri Snær Magnason, an acclaimed Icelandic writer and filmmaker, delves into the environmental crisis through the lens of mythology and storytelling. He discusses how rapid climate changes are reshaping our world, transforming geological timescales. Andri introduces the concept of 'pancake sci-fi,' bridging generations while emphasizing the significance of human relationships over technology. He argues for a cultural shift towards sustainability and the essential role of myths in guiding us through these challenging times.

In this discussion, Dana Karout, a writer and adaptive leadership trainer, explores the duality of AI, particularly ChatGPT, as both a challenge and a potential ally in navigating complexity. She humorously critiques how AI reflects our limited thinking and questions its role in creativity. Delving into moral dilemmas, Karout emphasizes the need for deep human engagement with technology, urging listeners to embrace uncertainty and the transformative power of unknowing as a means to cope with today's existential challenges.

Last week we released Aloha ‘Āina, the second film in our Shifting Landscapes documentary film series, which tells the story of how acclaimed Native Hawaiian poet Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio brought her poetry and love of the land to the forefront of the movement to protect the sacred Mauna Kea from the construction of a thirty-meter telescope.To complement the film, we’re returning to an investigative story we published several years ago when moves to begin construction first ignited protest at the foot of the mountain. Written by Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, this story—rich with the voices and chants of Mauna Kea land protectors—traces the collision of values that continues to play out on the mountain, giving a depth of context to the promise of guardianship maintained by the Kanaka Maoli community.Read the transcript.Watch the film Aloha ‘Āina, by Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, the first in our four-part Shifting Landscapes documentary film series.Photo by Kapulei Flores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David James Duncan, acclaimed author of 'The Brothers K' and 'The River Why', dives into his new novel, 'Sun House', exploring themes of love, spirituality, and ecological awareness through its characters in rural Montana. He discusses the interweaving of Eastern and Western philosophies, emphasizing how mystics like Meister Eckhart inspire personal growth and community healing. Duncan also reflects on the transformative power of nature, contrasting authentic spiritual practices with superficiality, all while advocating for deeper connections amid contemporary crises.

This month we released the first film in our new four-part Shifting Landscapes documentary film series exploring the role of art and the storyteller in our age of ecological crisis. The inspiration for The Nightingales Song, which spends time with British folk singer Sam Lee during nightingale season as he joins the bird in mutual song, grew from a special interview we held with Sam in 2021.To accompany the film, we’re returning to this conversation with Sam, where he shares the story of how the call of the nightingale opened him to a kinship with the more-than-human. Reflecting on how this bird has served as a “wisdom keeper” and “unlocker” of hearts for generations of poets, musicians, and storytellers, he also speaks more about his process of leading audiences into this magical space of communion with the nightingale each spring.Read the transcript.Watch the film The Nightingale's Song, by Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, the first in our four-part Shifting Landscapes documentary film series.Photo by Dominick Tyler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices