sisu
magazine
FROM THE EDITOR What’s more difficult: Launching a print magazine in 2018 or following up your first issue with something that is just as visually stunning and intellectually compelling? We haven’t landed on the answer yet, but we are enjoying this adventure and are over-the-top thrilled by your responses to Sisu Magazine. Here’s a few things that you’ve written to us: •
“It’s like an exhale of relief and a huge inhale of fresh air when I sit down with a publication like Sisu.”
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“It’s incredible. No women’s magazine has ever talked to me like I’m smart before. Or like nothing is wrong with me. Or like I’m not on display. It’s like I’m just a human. With value.”
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“I love what I see. I can’t wait for what future issues hold!”
And so here we are, presenting you with the Grounded issue. Inside our contributors are exploring topics that everyone is talking about—such as substance free experiences, dealing with depression, and creating sacred and safe spaces—but often these conversations are whispers compared to the louder narrative that has become a pillar in the outdoors. Après following a day on the slopes; beers at the tailgate after a long ride. Summiting peaks, going big, and getting rad. If that’s how you do the outdoors, you keep doing you. But if there is anything that we’ve learned over the years, it is that people experience the outdoors in very different ways. Those differences are not only stark and recognizable, they are valuable. They are helping to expand the perception of who plays in the outdoors, and why, and even what constitutes an outdoor experience. There’s room for everyone. In this issue we explore how we can become emotionally grounded by creating intentional spaces in the outdoors and talking about issues that have been incredibly stigmatized in our society. We also are examining the literal earth, from biodynamic farming, to how we have created the concept of wilderness. You’ll notice that my personal experiences of living, working, playing, and conducting graduate research in Kenya have heavily influenced the latter. What are often thought of as expansive, natural spaces free from the impact of human beings are actually culturally enriched landscapes that have co-evolved alongside humans. (And this isn’t just the case in Africa; closer to home in the US we see the same issues, particularly when we look at how indigenous people have been forcefully removed and erased from their land.) The Grounded issue is particularly special to me because of this connection to Africa. We invited Denver-based artist Andrea Slusarski to bring the photos of my cycling trip across Africa to life with her art. I interviewed my dear friends from Savage Wilderness Safaris who are helping to grow the outdoor recreation economy in Kenya. And I share a few of my own tips about how to travel on the continent. Needless to say, we are eagerly awaiting your response to the Grounded issue. Send me a note to share your thoughts at editor@sisumagazine.com, and in the meantime, enjoy.
Jennifer Gurecki Editor-In-Chief
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