About “Wild Talk”
After 1865 U.S. legal systems became more sophisticated in the enslavement of African descendants in America. One of the most prominent violent acts of indigenous genocide was public and private negro lynchings. These lynchings were sanctioned by the U.S. court of law. It is the foundation of modern policing and carceral systems. At the root of Southern lynching culture is a reliance on social control through the fear of violence. A Black person could be lynched at a "picnic" style gathering for simply saying something that resisted the social order of legally constructed anti-Blackness, this criminally charged concept was entitled "talking wild," any act by a negro person that challenged the existing social order or suggested an unwillingness to surrender to the enforced authority of whiteness (e.g. glancing at white women, making eye-contact with white men, staying out past sundown...). The spirit of our offerings is rooted in the historical legacy of choosing to preserve our integrity by honoring our autonomy. To us, talking wild is a collective spirit that dares us to creatively imagine new possibilities beyond the conditions of our reality. Through studying our ways as rural agrarians, horse folk, spiritualists, and families we have sharpened a framework for experimenting with change. It is through this deep rural land-based way of being that we cultivate our methods.
What we believe
Stories provide access to a deeper understanding of innovative possibilities. The ways and values taught to us by proper relationship to the land, equip us with critical insight on engaging the colonial world and its systems. By committing to telling stories and designing time/place with an awareness of historical access to power, we can shift our realities. Stories are living bodies of work, always changing and always willing to be rewritten. We believe uncovering our life work through pleasure and joy is a necessary offering and liberatory practice for honesty. There is power in cultural preservation and production; our commitment is to cultivating and modeling that power. By promoting reclination into the work that brings relief, we embody the practices of the world we seek to grow.
Who we work with
We work directly with people, places and projects who desire to (1) better understand themselves or their work (2) realize a strategic vision and (3) engage in creative storytelling and narrative-based strategies. We offer targeted services for individual entrepreneurs and their start-ups, grassroots organizations and collectives, intermediary foundations, grant-making institutions, and farms. The tools in our multi-disciplinary toolbox are proven to be beneficial for public and private endeavors. If you or an associated entity seek to build power and realize strategic visions, our story-rooted strategies may be for you. We prioritize work that unravels historical patterns of harm and inequitable power distribution. Through an investment in the narrative, we develop resources and build power with our partners.
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