Erin Sharkey and Michael Kleber-Diggs Launch Into a Darker Wilderness Podcast

On Wednesday, May 27, Milkweed Editions celebrated the launch for the Into a Darker Wilderness podcast, an accompaniment to the anthology A Darker Wilderness, edited by podcast host Erin Sharkey. There, she was joined by her co-host, Max Ritvo Poetry Prize winner Michael Kleber-Diggs, and podcast producer Davi Gray to share in conversation shaped by artist Miré Regulus. Together, they mused on their motivation behind the podcast’s creation and their plans for season one. They asked listeners: What does wilderness mean for you?

We’ll talk to each of the contributors in this book about each historical object they’re in dialogue with, but I think the beauty of our podcast is that the book is a starting place. -Erin Sharkey

“Explore something with me,” Miré Regulus began, coaxing the audience into conjuring the foliage of wilderness. “What’s in it? Who is in it? Who does that wilderness belong to?” Behind the trio, a carousel slideshow showcased editor Erin Sharkey and poet Michael Kleber-Diggs on nature outings, lit beneath the sun, haloed by shades of green. Already, Erin Sharkey’s podcast-ready voice lulled the crowd into listening, allowing early-access previews of future episodes to come. “I wanted to talk to anthology contributors about their subjects further,” Erin Sharkey explained in their teaser. “We hope that it keeps expanding, that we keep having conversations about finding nature in unexpected spaces.”

The anthology, edited by Erin, bursts with personal lyric essays that examine archival objects of Black history and memory, particularly as it engages in nature. “We’ll talk to each of the contributors in this book about the historical object they’re in dialogue with,” Erin explained, “but I think the beauty of our podcast is that the book is a starting place. I think we’ll be moving past it in future episodes, but it’s a start.”

Between the podcast duo, they traded stories on what it was like collaborating on each project. “I remember [Erin] came up to me and said, ‘I wanted to ask about your essay.’” Michael explained, laughing. “I remember thinking to myself, what essay? She said, ‘for the anthology!’ It all came back to me, and I just started crying. So when the podcast idea came up, I said of course. We’ve got to do it.”  

We asked each of our guests to offer listeners either a writing prompt, life prompt, or action prompt. Something that you can go to the page with or challenge yourself to go out and find. We hope to invite you all into finding nature in unexpected places with us. -Erin Sharkey

On being asked what listeners can look forward to, they each offered a glimpse into the first season. “Erin will be interviewing me, then I’ll interview her. Katie Robinson, a brilliant writer and thinker, is another upcoming guest,” Michael explained. Here, Erin grinned and added, “With Katie, we get into phobias, bugs, the supernatural, aliens. With Carolyn Finney, we interviewed her in the middle of the wilderness in Wisconsin. For Ronald Greer, we received special permission to bring recording equipment into a prison.”

Concluding each episode, Erin shared a glimpse into what listeners can do after each session. Shaped by each guest, they plan to extend the conversation from the podcast, to the page, to the unexpected wilderness hidden in the every day. “We asked each of our guests to offer listeners either a writing prompt, life prompt, or action prompt. Something that you can go to the page with or challenge yourself to go out and find. We hope to invite you all into finding nature in unexpected places with us.”

To listen to their trailer, first episode, and more, we invite you to check out their website here, and to find them wherever you listen to podcasts.