The Wild Joy of Summer
Our Inaugural Celebration of Art & Interconnection
Summer is a sensory celebration of joy: nectar rich flowers buzzing with pollinators, coyotes singing in twilight, deer grazing in fragrant meadows, and people coming together under the sun. It is a season where plants, insects, humans and other animals converge, reminding us of the deep interconnectedness of all life.
Welcoming joy is an act of resistance: a defiant embrace of life amid loss that reaffirms the Earth’s capacity to rise and endure. With this in mind, the inaugural issue of the WVC magazine invites you to explore the ways creative practice and ecological activism intertwine with joy, resilience, deep relationship, and the celebration of biodiversity.
Mother Earth, enduring and generous despite immense challenges, deserves to be seen in all of her wild joy and to be celebrated.
ESSAYS, STORIES, LETTERS & POEMS:
The links in each title below take you to the audio, visual art, poetry, and prose by each author.
A Note from WVC founder & curator, Vanessa Chakour
Dive In, by Jiling Lin
”Sitting in a California poppy patch stoned on sunlight and birdsong, I notice golden pollen flying. Pollinator Californication. Delight. This little haiku (hopes to) mirror that.”
How To Write Like A Cat, by Kristen J. Sollée
”Nine small steps toward feline creativity.”
Letter to a Bobcat Mama by Sarah Killingsworth “My letter to a wild bobcat mama, who I have spent years observing and photographing, is an exploration of her universe, and my feelings about the time I spend with her. I hope it fosters empathy for her life, and the lives of other wild animals.”
Summoning Fireflies, by Kate Dworman
“Summoning Fireflies was written to rebalance the weight that I carry while working in environmental advocacy. It is a poem that celebrates Mother Nature and her fireflies with a thread of lament running through; a quiet warning about how these magical little lights are quietly disappearing. But more than anything, the poem is meant to spark that sense of wonder felt as children on warm summer nights and serve as a reminder that we are all connected—to each other, and to every creature we share this planet with.”
Remi, by Maggie Healy
“A joyful conversation with a French-speaking dog.”
Wild Lives, Wild Joy, by Kristen Weiss Public Engagement Coordinator for Project Coyote
"Coyotes are one of the most misunderstood and persecuted wild carnivores in North America. By recognizing the emotional experiences humans and coyotes share, I hope we can encourage greater respect for coyotes and a shift to compassionate coexistence with all of our wild neighbors."
We Are Family, The Far Woods “Our practice crosses disciplines to work toward an ecologically-viable and socially-just future.”
The Turtle, by Jane Anderson
“Written from the perspective of a turtle I met at an aquarium, this work expresses the deep longing I had in that moment to be that turtle.”
Good Morning, Wild Neighbors!, by Mallory Lance Fithian
”We root into our new home as we get to know our surrounding plant and animal life, and our young ones open our eyes to the immediacy of the present moment.”
WVC SUMMER TEAM:
WVC founder and curator, Vanessa Chakour
WVC assistant editor,
WVC audio production, Alex Chakour
Love all these contributions. Thanks Vanessa and Rona for the work you did on this.
Bonus video, for celebrating summer, from DW Docs:
"Sacred Birches of the Taiga"
In the boreal coniferous forest, where light and darkness, warmth and cold follow each other in an eternal cycle, a sacred tree watches over the inhabitants of the taiga: the birch. With its strong roots and tall crown, this special tree is a symbol of life. The northern Finnish Sami people revere it as a source of inspiration, a resource and a medicinal plant; its wood is used for heating, its bark sap as a medicinal essence and its branches for carving bows. Particularly long-lived trees are treated as oracles, and consulted on existential matters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7boHyck4Ig&list=PL-OONRHuNryJUAc22eiVEskLqc9UfeCXh