In this tribute to Andrea Gibson, we re-broadcast our original conversation from September of 2023. For so many of us who have been touched by Andrea’s work, their death is a deep wound, one that will stretch and expand our hearts in accordance with its depth.   

Ross and Ayana consider what it means to get people interested in protecting the places that sustain us. How can we inspire the connection with the land that brings people to defend it? 

This captivating conversation explores how the denial of pleasure contributes to our own oppression, how radical honesty and kindness can transform our relationships, the importance of pleasure beyond sex, and how our pain and sorrow is a measurement of our pleasure and joy.

Weaving together the ephemeral worlds of emotion and Indigenous identity with the grounding power of shared values and reciprocity, Sky reminds us that art is meant to provoke, inspire, and make the space needed for feeling to emerge.

Erin describes her understanding of modalities of being, explaining that neurotypicality is a system that undergirds our ways of knowing and our ways of being a body. There is no singular “neurotypical person” just as there is no singular “neurodiverse” person.

Detailing her ongoing connection to the earth and the wonder she feels about humanity's place within and as a part of nature, Jacqueline details the way our rhythms are drawn from those of the earth.

Discussing his signature field atlases, Obi shares a longing to understand the whole of a place – not just the marquee places, but the systems and interconnections that keep the earth pulsing with life and shares how a simple question can crack open the complexity of life on earth.

As Andrea shares their journey connecting to the eternal, genderless “We,” they invite listeners to contemplate their identities beyond this life alone. As we let the need to know fall away, what miracles might reveal themselves to us? 

Death is a process of decomposition, how can we come to embrace this reality? Katrina joins Ayana to discuss the possibilities of burial practices, ways to connect with death, and the value in thoughtful death plans. The way we design death rituals matters in how connected we feel to the process of death. 

Keiara shares her journey with the Compton Cowboys and her experiences as a Black cowgirl. The respect and accountability necessary for a good relationship with a horse is also necessary for a good relationship with each other. How might animals be our guides and companions in making the world more equitable? 

Bringing a rich background of research on forms of intelligence, from artificial to mycelial, James posits that it is a critical failure to use human intelligence as the benchmark for all forms of knowing.

We look at how the attention economy takes on a new meaning in the digital age and the anxiety we experience in a consumer-driven society. Jenny Odell shares the brilliance of doing “nothing”, tending to the ecological self, and growing deeper forms of attention through a commitment to bioregionalism.

Malcolm offers well-rooted thought touching on the history of Stanford University, the internet, Palo Alto’s military connections, and reveals the values of understanding our material realities and the structures that support society as it stands.

Moving through the depths of empathy, pleasure, and presence, Francesca considers passion as a practice of gratitude to the world around us and offers us an escape from mindless distraction through the power of imagination and literature.

adrienne and Autumn discuss the joys of witnessing love in the face of despair, the accountability that comes with true love, and the growth and nourishment made possible through love, they impart deep wisdom about how to cherish this world for all it has given us. 

Samuel Bautista Lazo brings listeners into an insightful conversation on the value of craftwork that connects us to the past and plants seeds for the future emphasizing the radical act of creating connection and meaning with the objects we need to sustain life.

Alynda speaks on the complexities that come with wanting and needing to run away from oppressive systems while simultaneously confronting what is happening right in front of us, emphasizing the urgency of action and compassion as we work to end systems of detainment and punishment.

Josué invites us to challenge extractive and colonial lenses by embracing the overwhelming force of the creative urge. How might we break apart from the constant pressure of social media to envision the new modes of creation and creativity that these stories need in order to be told? 

Jarod (@cryptonaturalist) reminds us, limits are nourishing within poetry, and can be a virtue in life. If we accept the messy, twisted, and gnarled realities of life, we can escape the cold and dead store bought narratives about who we are supposed to be and instead lean into real freedom.  

Veda calls us to investigate our liquid selves – the tears and sweat that make us human, the rituals of baptism and bathing that connect us to that which lies beyond. As Veda states, water is always in search of itself. How might understanding water begin to help us in our search for ourselves?