Nicki's Wonder List

Meet Nicki Youngsma: writer, artist & storyteller.
In this initial episode of Nicki's Wonder List, Nicki shares the intention of this series and gives a preview of what is to come in this multiformat podcast. We'll delve into various topics with guests in which storytelling plays an important role as well as discuss books.
This is a podcast about exploring story in a time of collapse. Such examinations seek to support surprising transformation through curiosity, inquiry, and introspection.
Welcome to Nicki's Wonder List.
Learn more, support, and subscribe at nickiswonderlist.com.

Nicki’s Wonder List
Show Notes
“Community Rights with Michelle Holman”
Season 02, Episode 03

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In this episode, Nicki is joined by Michelle Holman, an activist in the Community Rights movement in Lane County, Oregon.

Michelle Holman has lived in Deadwood, a community in Western Lane County’s Coast Range, for more than 40 years and has been active in the anti-herbicide struggle since the late 1970’s. After many years of her community’s unsuccessful fight to stop government-protected aerial spraying of toxic chemicals by private logging companies, she renounced traditional activism and joined the Community Rights movement. She is a founder of Community Rights Lane County and the Oregon Community Rights Network. She has served on the Mapleton School Board for 35 years, where more than 20 years ago, the school district stopped using toxic chemicals on school grounds.

In this conversation, Nicki and Michelle talk about the Community Rights Movement and the Rights of Nature.

This interview was recorded in May 2023.

Further Reading & Links

“Box of Allowable Activism” from Community Environmental Legal Defence Fund (infographic)

Eco-Jurisprudence Monitor - tracking Rights of Nature Movement and Earth-based laws

Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in Eugene, Oregon: “Protecting Our Vital Watersheds, Rights of Nature, a New Paradigm” 2023.

Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)

Oregon Community Rights Network (ORCRN)

Community Rights Lane County

Protect Lane County Watersheds - mission & Bill of Rights

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Connect & Support

Nicki’s Wonder List

Exploring story in a time of collapse

Signup for Updates - at nickiswonderlist.com

Buy Books - from our storefront on Bookshop.org

@nickiswonderlist on Instagram

@nickiswonderlist on Facebook

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Nicki's Wonder List

“High Sensitivity Processing and the Neurodiversity Movement with Leah K. Walsh”

Season 01, Episode 03

In this episode we’re joined by Leah K. Walsh. We discuss high sensitivity processing, how it relates to the neurodiversity movement at large, the issues with the pathology lens, and difficulty with language around expressing how people think and experience the world through their bodies.

Leah (she/her) works with people who are sensitive and neurodivergent with rooted respect and encouragement. She offers individual coaching sessions and a seasonal meet-up so that others can safely explore their story, embody their unique way of being in the world, and show up freely.

Nicki and Leah talk about the work of Dr. Elaine Aron and high sensitivity processing (HSP), going over some of the key points of the framework offered by this body of research. The conversation drifts into how this can be helpful for people who identify with this particular way of being as well as its limitations within the context of the neurodiversity movement.

Mentions & Further Reading

Leah K. Walsh’s website

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D

Neurodiversity Community Resource Page at leahkwalsh.com

“The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others’ emotions” in Brain BehaviorPortland Underground Graduate School (PUGS)
Neeraja Havaligi, PhD

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Connect & Support

Exploring story in a time of collapse

Signup for Updates - at nickiswonderlist.com
Buy Books - from our storefront on Bookshop.org

@nickiswonderlist on Instagram

@nickiswonderlist on Facebook

#nickiswonderlist

In this episode we’re joined by Emily O’Connor, M.A.T. In this conversation we discuss dyslexia, education, and study of the English language.

Emily is a dyslexic human whose greatest passion in life is supporting other dyslexic humans, especially children. In 2015 she launched her small business, Advantage Math Clinic, in Portland, Oregon. Emily spends her days studying math and words with kids and adults, and believes passionately that every dyslexic child deserves a guide who views their own study and understanding as ever evolving and expanding.

In this conversation, Nicki and Emily talk about dyslexia, neurodiversity, and education. Emily shares her experience as a dyslexic human navigating the K-12 education system as a student, as a student in higher education, and then pursuing a career path in education herself.

Learning mathematics at the Making Math Real Institute and studying Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) has led to Emily’s life-changing empowerment and understanding of math, written language, and more. Emily shares the history of her unique and compelling educational publication series Truer Words: A resource for scholars, which supports learning more about English language words diachronically, synchronically, and through the lens of SWI.

Mentions & Further Reading

Emily O'Connor, M.A.T. and Advantage Math Clinic

Truer Words Store

Pete Bowers and WordWorks Literacy Centre

Douglas Harper and the Online Etymology Dictionary

David Berg, E.T. and the Making Math Real Institute

Sean McCormick’s interview of Emily O’Connor

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Connect & Support
Exploring story in a time of collapse

Signup for Updates - at nickiswonderlist.com

Buy Books - from our storefront on Bookshop.org

@nickiswonderlist on Instagram

@nickiswonderlist on Facebook

#nickiswonderlist

Nicki’s Wonder List
Exploring story in a time of collapse
SHOW NOTES
”Book Talk on Introductory Memoirs”
Season 01, Episode 06

In this book talk episode, Nicki shares a few book titles on the subject of introductory memoirs.

Introductory Memoirs - Reading List on Bookshop.org

Mentions & Further Reading

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

The Mountain and the Fathers: Growing Up in the Big Dry by Joe Wilkins

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

The Chronology of Water: A Memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch

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Connect & Support

Exploring story in a time of collapse

Signup for Updates - at nickiswonderlist.com

Buy Books - from our storefront on Bookshop.org

@nickiswonderlist on Instagram

@nickiswonderlist on Facebook

#nickiswonderlist