“I don’t actually know much, but I’m going to love you anyway.” —Rachel Meade
In the Company of Humpbacks S1:3 

Dear For The Wild Community, 

Sharing clips, photos, and these nourishing episodes from our time with the water and whales has been such a joy. It also has been a reminder of trust, of leaning into the unknown, and embracing humility in the creative process. This series is a reminder of both the capaciousness of our experience and its simultaneous limitedness. Our lives are tied to winds, to waters, to creatures far out of our control. What humility might allow us to surrender to this?  

This week, we’re so glad to share our final episode of the series as well as bonus content and our newest zine! 

Episode 3 - Available on all Listening Platforms!

Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.

Learn more and support this work at thrums.org. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners: Five Fingers Lighthouse, the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Cetacean Society, and Barnacle Foods.

Patreon Extras

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/forthewild for access to all content from the series, including a series-specific zine, extended episodes, and a bonus episode – all out now!

This episode brings us deeper into conversation with humpback whale specialist  and marine biologist Dr. Fred Sharpe along the coast of Southeast Alaska

Together, Ayana and Fred explore how humpbacks move through the ocean, from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding waters in Hawai‘i, and how changing herring populations are shaping their behavior. The conversation moves beyond migration into something more complex, looking at how whales interact with each other, with other species, and within shifting ecosystems.

At the center is a question that remains unanswered: How do humpbacks communicate? Are their sounds expressions of emotion and coordination? How much of these systems are things we do not yet fully understand?

This episode offers a closer, more reflective look at the science, the mystery, and the relationships that define life in the ocean.

ZINE
Water and Whales: Listening for the Deep

Zine cover art by Claire Ciccarone

In homage to our In the Company of Humpbacks series, this zine is an investigation into both the material realities of our oceanic world and the spiritual meanings this world conveys. Dedicated to looking closely at the water and the beings that inhabit it, Water and Whales: Listening for the Deep, speaks to our relationships with knowledge, the more-than-human, breath, thrums, and waves of all kinds. 

With wisdom from our conversations with Dr. Fred Sharpe, Joe Olson, Rachel Meade, Dr. Kate Stafford, Kurt Russo, and Veda Austin, let this zine guide you towards the water, whales, and the mysteries of our relations.

This meaning-making is accompanied by writing and art from For The Wild community members: Anna Begas, Moudi Sbeity, Vaughan Williams, Kyla Sjogren, Rebecca Routman, Julia Bollinger, Kat Dimitruk, and Claire Ciccarone.

With pages of content including: guided ritual, meditations, prayers, episode excerpts, hand-selected episode quotes, reflection questions, art from the For The Wild community and resources to further deepen your practices, we hope you find resonance with this offering.

Purchase an individual zine from our website: https://forthewild.world/zines

Or, you can join us on Patreon at $5 USD a month to access our full archive of zines: https://www.patreon.com/forthewild

A Callout for Aligned Sponsors and Partners

As we prepare several upcoming podcast series, we’re opening a small number of sponsorship spaces for organizations, brands, and initiatives working in meaningful relationship with the living world.

Our upcoming conversations move through themes of ocean conservation, slow food and ecological food cultures, and Indigenous sovereignty and land stewardship.

If your work resonates with these threads, we would love to hear from you — connect@forthewild.world

Further Listening

In the spirit of grounded humility, we recommend: