Welcome to Emergence Magazine's podcast.

I'm Emanuel Vaughn Lee, executive editor of Emergence Magazine,

located on the unseated ancestral lands of the Coast Mewalk people of present-day,

Marin County.

Each week, we feature a new interview, narrated essay, or story, exploring the threads connecting

ecology, culture, and spirituality.

As our times are darkened by destruction and extinction, there remains a primordial joy at the root of our relationship with the earth,

encounters with the beauty and magic of all that surrounds us. The sprouting of seeds, the grace of rain,

the concert of birdsong, invite us back into conscious kinship and allow us to dissolve into the oneness of the living world.

To mark the beginning of England's Nightingale season, we are revisiting my conversation with

acclaimed folk singer, conservationist, and song collector Sam Lee, who each spring steps into the forest

to sing with these beloved birds.

In this interview, Sam reflects on the ancient musical kinship between humans and nightingales.

Melodies shared and silences exchanged.

And the parallels between folk music and birdsong that embodies a deep connection to place. Finding a re-enchantment

with the earth through his practice, Sam speaks of the great importance of listening. And as

Britain's Nightingale population declines, a hope that music might offer the bird a path back

into cultural consciousness.

Thanks so much for being here with us.

Thank you, Emmanuel, for having me.

So I spent, you know, the last week or so, kind of immersed in your work,

reading your new book, The Nightingale, listening to your albums,

...