As She Rises

Latest Episodes:

Recommended Listen: THE WILD with Chris Morgan Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

How to thrive in the face of adversity is a lesson nature teaches us over and over again. THE WILD with Chris Morgan is on a mission to prove that, despite the political and economic forces threatening our environment, nature persists and gives us hope for the future.

Every episode takes you on an immersive, sonic adventure, exploring how wild animals and entire ecosystems adapt to forces like wildfire, deforestation, and overhunting. Host Chris Morgan will bring you up close to some of the world’s most remarkable species, sharing stories of resilience in nature and what they can teach us about ourselves and each other.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A New Season of Kindred Drops Oct 14! Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Kindred is back, hosted by Kate Coffin and Jenn Asplundh. This season, we’re flipping the script on creatures everyone loves to hate — from hyenas and vultures to bats and possums — and showing why they’re fascinating, essential, and surprisingly lovable.

Join us as we explore the hidden connections between humans, animals, and nature, and discover stories that will make you see the world in a whole new way. Follow Kindred wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Learn more, find past episodes, and support the podcast at www.kindredpodcast.co.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Oysters Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

In the final episode in our season on rewilding, we’re visiting New York Harbor. Commonly considered a high-traffic waterway beneath skyscrapers – New York Harbor actually was once one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. It was full of living reefs of molluscs that filtered the harbor and created a thriving habitat for other creatures. But as the city grew, the harbor fell silent. Today, New Yorkers are trying to reinvigorate a harbor rendered lifeless by replenishing the very population they destroyed a century ago: oysters.

Marcella Durand reads an excerpt of her poem, The Ways of East River Park, about embracing a new form of urban ecosystem that brings humans into the habitat of the harbor.

Thank you to Earthjustice for supporting this season of As She Rises. Learn more at earthjustice.org.

For more:

Learn more about the Billion Oyster Project and find ways to get involved at BillionOysterProject.org
Marcella Durand’s latest book, A Winter Triangle, is the recipient of the 2024 Poetic Justice Institute Prize, and you can find more of her work on local urban ecological issues including an essay, "At Spiral's Center" at the Black Earth Institute.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Las Semillas Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

In Puerto Rico, centuries of colonial rule have uprooted local food systems. Currently, the island imports around 85% of its food. But in the wake of Hurricane Maria and other catastrophic storms, the fragility of that dependence—and the urgency for food sovereignty—has come sharply into focus.

Out of this reckoning has emerged a new generation of farmers returning to ancestral and Indigenous forms of agriculture. For our second episode on rewilding, we’re meeting two best friends working to decolonize agriculture and trusting the land to lead the way.

Nicole Delgado reads her poem, Conversación con Norysell Massanet. This is a personal piece written for her friend, a farmer taking part in Puerto Rico’s agroecological movement.

Thank you to Earthjustice for supporting this season of As She Rises. Learn more at earthjustice.org.

For more:

Learn more about Finca Güakiá’s philosophy and support their efforts, join their Patreon at patreon.com/guakiapr
Learn more about the larger Puerto Rican agroecological movement and find ways to get involved at iala-pr.org
To support the school of agroecology where Marissa and Stephanie trained and taught, visit eljoscobravo.org/dona
To read more of Nicole Delgado’s work, you can visit nicolececiliadelgado.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rocks Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

North Cove, Washington, more commonly known as Washaway Beach, was once experiencing the fastest erosion along the Pacific coast. For decades, homes in the surrounding rural community had fallen into the ocean due to increasingly powerful winter storms. That is, until a neighbor defied conventional engineering practices and dumped a pile of rocks onto the shoreline. This community is facing a hostile natural environment. But instead of fighting it, they’re figuring out ways to take cues from nature and work with it. For our fourth season of As She Rises, we’re listening to stories of rewilding.

Erika Langley reads her work, Autumnal, about the storms that ravage Washaway Beach, and the feeling of watching people’s homes collapse into the ocean.

Thank you to Earthjustice for supporting this season of As She Rises. Learn more at earthjustice.org.

For more:

Learn more about dynamic revetment in North Cove and find ways to get involved at washawaynomore.org
Check out the David Cottrell Memorial Fund to make sure there is money for several loads of rocks a year.
To read more of Erika Langley’s work and learn more about her time in Washaway Beach, visit erikalangley.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing: As She Rises | Season 4 Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Premiering October 8, As She Rises is back for its fourth season, hosted by Leah Thomas, founder of The Intersectional Environmentalist. This season, As She Rises is exploring rewilding—the practice of restoring ecosystems to their natural state. We’ll hear how communities are letting the land lead, and reimagining what it means to truly coexist with the natural world.

Follow wherever you're listening to this so you never miss an episode!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS: Inherited Podcast “Maíz es Vida” by Paloma Moreno Jiménez Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Hey As She Rises listeners! Today, we're bringing you a bonus episode from the Inherited podcast, told by one of our very own team members at WMN: Paloma Moreno Jiménez.

Inherited is a climate storytelling podcast by, for, and about young people across the globe.

In this episode of the show, storyteller Paloma Moreno Jiménez conjures a folkloric audio fiction about the cross-cultural, agricultural importance of corn, and its relationship with humanity. Her experimental, sound-lush story anthropomorphizes the “three sisters” crops – Maíz (Corn), Calabaza (Squash), and Frijol (Bean) – as real sisters, and follows the eldest, Maíz, as she shares the story of a fantastical journey into the spirit world with her grandchild on the other side.

Special thanks to Ace the Storyteller for contributing original music to this episode.

Inherited is a production of YR Media and distributed by Critical Frequency. For more information about our podcast, head to our website at yr.media/inherited, and follow us on the socials @inheritedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Delta Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

For the last episode of the season, we’re traveling to the Colorado River Delta, south of Mexicali, Mexico: where all the waters from upstream are supposed to reach. Here, the Colorado River used to split into braided streams and tendrils, forming a complex estuary of riparian forests, rich wetlands, countless lagoons, and abundant wildlife. But today, the river water no longer reaches the sea.

However, environmentalist groups have been working to restore sections of the delta and revitalize the river habitat. Edith Santiago, associate director of the Sonoran Insitute’s Colorado River Delta Program, has spent nearly 20 years connecting the river back to the sea. Maria Cisneros Smallcanyon reads her poem, “Un Radio Pierde Su Señal,” about watching a landscape that was once lush and lively turn sterile and silent.

For more:

Check out Maria Cisneros Smallcanyon’s work in The Chapter House’s ‘Blacklist Me’ exhibition
Learn more about the Sonoran Institute and support their work at sonoraninstitute.org

As She Rises is a Wonder Media Network production. Follow Wonder Media Network on Instagram and Twitter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rainwater May 29, 2023

Show notes

The Sonoran Desert, situated at the bottom edge of Arizona, stretches out into the haze of a horizon, rippled with heat. It’s fed by thin tributaries of the river and, more often, watered by sparse rains. It’s a place that, in theory, could seem pretty inhospitable. But the Tohono O’odham nation has survived and thrived there, thanks in part to traditional agricultural practices that are more relevant than ever as a drought looms ahead.

Tohono O’odham poet Ofelia Zepeda reads “Pulling Down the Clouds.” Her poem describes the treasured practice of Saguaro harvesting. It’s a practice Maria Francisco’s family has been taking part in for generations. Maria explains how the harvest is a celebration of rain. But now, climate change has caused the rains and monsoon seasons to shift, so the harvests are shifting too. Amy Juan is the manager of San Xavier Co-op Farm, an operation meant to revitalize traditional agricultural practices. They’re healing the ties to the past that have been severed by colonial practices, and mending the paths towards the future as the climate inevitably changes.

For more:

Support San Xavier Cooperative Farm at sanxaviercoop.org
You can read Ofelia Zepeda’s poetry in “Ocean Power: Poems from the Desert” and “Jewed'l-hoi/Earth Movements, O'Odham Poems.”

If you would like to learn more about Imagine5 and read some of their inspiring stories, please follow them on Instagram at @imagine5_official and sign up for their newsletter by visiting Imagine5.com

As She Rises is a Wonder Media Network production. Follow Wonder Media Network on Instagram and Twitter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Accidental Sea May 22, 2023

Show notes

In the southern valleys of California, lies a desert oasis known as the Salton Sea. The inland sea is picturesque— from afar. Up close, the beauty begins to fade. The sea is a result of diverting the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley for agriculture, and it’s filled with fertilizer, pesticides, and salt. Decades of drought have caused the sea to evaporate at a rapid pace, exposing the lakebed, unearthing toxins, and endangering nearby communities.

Adriana Torres Ceja and Olivia Rodriguez Mendez are both residents of the Eastern Coachella Valley and graduates of the Youth Leadership Institute. They have seen firsthand the negative impacts of the shrinking sea. Adriana reads a poem she wrote about the Salton Sea, and Olivia talks about the documentary she helped make to ensure her community’s voices are heard while the future of the sea remains uncertain.

For more: