Quiet summer release.
Quiet summer release.
A brief hello from the depths of summer to reflect on recent podcast episodes and what's coming up in the fall.
Since the last Conversations With Animals letter here on Substack, I have quietly released several new podcast episodes (ranging from a pet psychic to the sociology of meat-free fast food) on all of our platforms. There you’ll find talks including a recent episode produced in collaboration with the New York Public Library’s film historian Steve Massa on animals in silent film.
Starting at the end of September and continuing until the end of the year, I will be re-releasing all CWA podcast episodes from the past three seasons, which includes a talk with award-winning filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, racehorse rehabilitator CJ Wilson, and many, many more favorites. Season four of the podcast will launch this winter and you can expect episodes with a breakout novelist, a National Geographic journalist, international animal rights activists, and collaborations with other animal podcasts—stay tuned :).
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you: How are your final weeks of summer? Any notable animal encounters? What is on your mind as we head into the final quarter of the year?
Behind-the-scenes, I am reflecting on my time away from teaching—time spent studying in The Netherlands, starting a garden on my building’s rooftop, wondering about passive versus active rewilding, eating vegan croissants in Paris, taking cold showers and deep breathing, retreating to Upstate New York, honoring friendship’s loving gaze, being with the difficulties and pleasures of family, and discovering lessons of surrender during life’s transitions. I’ll be sharing some of these writings with you over the coming months including some beautiful photographs, films, and stories from Holland.
A friend encouraged me to finally start The Overstory and I am deep in its web at the moment. I’ll leave you with a short passage from an early section:
Adam salvages a bit of wood from the men who come to grind out the stump. He takes it into the basement, planes it down, and engraves it with his woodburning kit. He finds the words in a book: A tree is a passage between earth and sky.
With love,
Juliana
P.S. The climate justice meditation and yoga series I co-facilitate with
, Connie, Siggi, and Sheila, is coming on its final summer session this Thursday. In NYC and looking for affordable ways to gather in contemplative community? We’d love to welcome you! Register here or sign up at the door (no one is turned away for lack of funds).