Would You Wander

16/07/2021

🏆 I'm so excited to share that Would You Wander won the "Highly Commended" award in the RØDE Microphones My RØDE Cast competition!
That mean that out of over 2000 entries across the world, we were judged in the top 5%!

🎙 The prize, a set of fantastic RØDE mics, means we can provide recording equipment to up to 4 storytellers at a time going forwards.

Up til now we've just used whatever the storytellers have available to them, so this boon will allow us to make sure our next round of storytellers have as few barriers as possible to participating.

💚 Congrats especially to our first round of storytellers, who we couldn't have done it without:
Sarah Nicole Emslie
Sophie GB
Sofia Lukie
Gabriel Richardson
Emma Ryan
Dean Stockdale

Are you interested in sharing a story, knowledge, or just a wander on our podcast? Give me (Sam Jeffery) a shout at [email protected]. I'll release an official call once I secure funding to pay storytellers, but in the meantime I'd love to hear from you anyways!

https://www.myrodecast.com/

22/06/2021

Help us get some better equipment to make more wanders!

We're in the running for the RØDE Microphones My RØDE Cast competition, and the prizes are some sweet sweet mics and recording equipment to help us level up our future eps 💚

So far, we've just used whatever the storytellers have available to them... but we'd love to be able to provide recording equipment in the future!

Vote for Would You Wander:

Would you wander with us? Part storytelling, part nature exploration, Would You Wander is a pick-your-own-path podcast which integrates knowledge-sharing, story-telling, and natural discovery. So take a wander with us - and discover the ground living beneath your feet, the story around the corner,

16/06/2021

Meet the storyteller: Sofia Lukie (she/her)
Creator of Wander 1: Lito the Rusalka

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A little Q&A with Sofia:

🧜‍♀️Where did you grow up?
Winnipeg! spent my summers at Ukrainian Park, and Riding Mountain National Park

🧜‍♀️What's your favourite plant?
Chives! They look so simple but pack such a punch!

🧜‍♀️Favourite random nature fact?
If you sing to them, your plants will grow faster. Beavers work the hardest!!

🧜‍♀️What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
Nature has a heartbeat, nature has a soul, nature is spirit, and nature is breath.

🧜‍♀️Where else can we find you?
My art account is .lukie.design

🧜‍♀️Anything else you'd like to share?
Some Ukrainian traditions rooted in nature:
- In ukrainian tradition when you get married the women from the village come together and decorate a ’tree of life’ this is bestowed to the couple and represents the combining of lives
- On summer solstice we celebrate “Ivana Kupala”. The women in the village make wreaths, and throw them into the river. In certain areas the matriarch baba of the village will give you your ’nature name’. Mine are Pretty Bird and Little Fox
- On christmas eve, the youngest in the family has to spot the first star in the sky before the family can eat!
It’s customary to welcome in the night with song, you all hold hands and sing “good bye sun, hello night”

🧜‍♀️Tell us about your photos!
[1st photo] this is my cousin's Baba afixing decor onto my sister’s Tree of Life before her wedding!
[2nd photo] this is a film photo that Mat took of my parents and I at the lake
[3rd photo] this is a photo i took in cambodia!
[4th photo] this is my smelling peonies we have in our backyard!

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Take a wander with Sofia's episode and check out the curated resources:
https://wouldyouwander.wixsite.com/podcast/post/wander-1-lito-the-rusalka

📸 [1, 3, 4]: Sofia Lukie
📸 [2]: Mat Simpson

14/06/2021

Meet the storyteller: Gabriel Richardson (he/him)
Creator of Wander 2: On Trees and Not Being Alone

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A little Q&A with Gabe:

🌲Where did you grow up?
ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton), Treaty 6 territory

🌲What's your favourite plant?
I love the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine! It's deemed the oldest tree species in the world, and the oldest one is over 5,000 years old! To me it looks like exactly what I imagine Yggdrasil (the mythological Norse World Tree).

🌲Favourite random nature fact?
Great white sharks terrify me for a number of reasons. The number one scary fact is that they can feel your heart beating through electromagnetic sense receptors in their skin. When they swim near you they can literally feel your heart beating!

🌲What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
Nature is giving us every sign that humans are accelerating climate change. I will never forget living in Edmonton and the ash from the BC forest fires turning the whole city sepia toned. It was apocalyptic, and it reminds me every day that our time on this planet is precious and we must leave it better than we found it.

🌲Tell us about your nature photo?
This is a basket of Tayberries. They are a cross between blackberries and raspberries (my favourite berries). They are named after the Scottish river Tay, but also grow on Vancouver Island! I discovered them while working for a farmers market in Toronto.

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Take a wander with Gabe's episode and check out the curated resources:
https://wouldyouwander.wixsite.com/podcast/post/wander-2-on-trees-and-not-being-alone

📸: Gabriel Richardson

11/06/2021

Meet the storyteller: Dean Stockdale (they/them)
Creator of Wander 3: So you think you're Smarter than a Mushroom?

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A little Q&A with Dean:

🍄Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan which was and is lovely because it has a river running through it. It's not so big that it takes an hour to get across town nor is it so small you run into someone you know every time you leave the house, which for an introvert is nice.

🍄What's your favourite plant?
I've always loved snapping dragons cause they're the closest thing nature has to a puppet.

🍄Favourite random nature fact?
(This is actually great because I wanted to fit this in the pod but it didn't make the cut.) Trees make you better at test taking! They've found that spending ten+ mins in nature before taking a test can increase your creativity and critical thinking.

🍄What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
Nothing is guaranteed and sometimes being miserable is necessary to appreciate when you're not miserable.

🍄Where else can we find you?s.winder on instagram

🍄Anything else you want to share?
I made a playlist of some of my favourite mushroom videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdx3wccRKfzbeAle-FeKRMupEfpgW4FuI

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Take a wander with Dean's episode and check out their curated resources:
https://wouldyouwander.wixsite.com/podcast/post/wander-3-so-you-think-you-re-smarter-than-a-mushroom

📸: Dean Stockdale

09/06/2021

Meet the storyteller: Sarah Nicole Emslie (They/Them and She/Her)

Creator of Wander 4: Hey Bird

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A little Q&A with Sarah:

🐦Where did you grow up?
Right here in amiskwaciwâskahikan, in the south west!

🐦What's your favourite plant?
HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THIS. It's like making me pick my favourite child. I love anything that makes a vine and crawls around everywhere. It makes me remember that plants are alive and really have a mind of their own.

🐦Favourite random nature fact?
Hippos can biting force of nearly 2000 pounds. So. That's horrifying.

🐦What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
Nature teaches me every year that everything comes in cycles. Nothing lasts, and there is always the possibility for things to grow from something you thought was dead.

🐦What's your nature photo about?
I took this picture on like my third day of living in Toronto, and I was missing my mom SO much. I saw these flowers, and I knew how much she would love them, so I sent the picture to her. Made me feel a little better.

🐦Where else can we find you?
My handle on everything is hurricane__sarah, I really don't do anything cool on the internet.

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Take a wander with Sarah's episode and check out their curated resources:
https://wouldyouwander.wixsite.com/podcast/post/wander-4-hey-bird

📸: Sarah Emslie

04/06/2021

Meet the storyteller: Sophie Gareau-Brennan (she/her/elle)

Creator of Wander 5: Where does l'eau in the North Saskatchewan go?

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A little Q&A with Sophie:

🌱Where did you grow up?
Edmonton!

🌱What's your favourite plant?
There are so many to choose from and I fall in love with a new one everyday… Flowers like dandelions and forget-me-nots have a super special place in my heart. But my most consistent favourite is moss!

🌱Favourite random nature fact?
I just love that plants communicate with each other! I often wonder what they discuss.

🌱What's something nature has taught you that's stuck with you?
I am a very small part of the world. And that’s ok.

🌱What's your nature photo about?
I chose this photo of happy little forget me nots popping out in the early spring because I just love them so much and I loooove the texture.

🌱Anything else you want to share?
I will also be facilitating a workshop for Nextfest 2021: Online | June 3rd - 13th, 2021: Art & Language (Saturday June 12th 11:00am-1:00pm MST)

🌱Where else can we find you?
Instagram: (if you like nature & textures, this account is for you!)

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Take a wander with Sophie's episode and check out her curated resources: https://wouldyouwander.wixsite.com/podcast/post/wander-6-where-does-l-eau-in-the-north-saskatchewan-go

Listen to Sophie on Radio-Canada chat about Nextfest and bilingual creation: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/la-croisee/segments/entrevue/357705/festival-nextfest-sophie-gareau-brennan-edmonton

📸: Sophie Gareau-Brennan

03/06/2021

🌱->🌳

Today's the day!

It's surreal to watch these seeds finally sprout.

We'll be introducing our storytellers in a little more depth over the next few days, but in the meantime we invite you to get outside and take a wander with us!

The first 5 episodes are out right now, and a 6th will be coming very soon! Search Would You Wander wherever you get your podcasts, or check out anchor.fm/wouldyouwander

☀️⛅🌧️ So dress for the weather, keep your ears open, and who knows... you might discover that nature was waiting for you the whole time.

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The Nextfest Arts Company Canadian Wildlife Federation

02/06/2021

Ready to start wandering?

The first 6 episodes of Would You Wander, the storytelling nature podcast, drop on June 3!

anchor.fm/wouldyouwander

02/06/2021

"It's a beautiful little thing."

This trailer has us buzzing with excitement! Here's a teaser from our first 6 storytellers:

🌱Sarah Emslie
🌱Sophie Gareau-Brennan
🌱Sofia Lukie
🌱Gabriel Richardson
🌱Emma Ryan
🌱Dean Stockdale

"Now breathe in... to all of amiskwaciwâskahikan."

Releases JUNE 3 The Nextfest Arts Company


Canadian Wildlife Federation

27/05/2021

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It's happening! Would You Wander launches our first 6 episodes in one week!

Getting excited? We sure are!

We've got you covered with Episode 0: Guide to Wandering. Join creator Sam Jeffery to find out how to wander, what to bring, and what this nature storytelling thing is all about. Check out the video for a sneak peek, and anchor.fm/wouldyouwander for full episodes!

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✨ Raring to go? The first 6 wanders are being released June 3, 2021 as part of the The Nextfest Arts Company multi-disciplinary arts festival.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or at anchor.fm/wouldyouwander to be notified when we go live!
Would You Wander is also supported by the Canadian Wildlife Federation as part of Sam's Canadian Conservation Corps service.

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Want the transcript or more info about what you heard? Check out our website or connect with us on IG. If you have an idea, feedback, or story you’d like to share, give us a shout at [email protected].

Recorded and edited by Would You Wander's creator Sam Jeffery in ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory.

27/05/2021