Our Mission

Terra Incognita Media is a completely independent feminist media organization that provides a feminist response to the outdoor industry.

Our content, podcast, workshops, and events protest settler colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. We strive to instigate meaningful discourse that leads off the page and catalyzes political action.

We seek to raise the level and depth of discourse happening in the outdoor industry. We prioritize women, femme, queer, trans, Black, POC, and Indigenous voices in order to highlight the complexity of our relationship with natural spaces.

Core Values of Our Team

Empathy, non-judgmental, humility, values experience, self-awareness, ability to operate in the grey, commitment to the Collective, self-motivated, open and willing to learn/unlearn, ability to build authentic relationships, open and honest communication, passionate, mission alignment

How Will We Sustain Ourselves in the Over-Saturated Market of Magazines and Media?

There is a need for more feminist media outlets, especially one geared towards the outdoor industry. Our business model is unique because we do not rely on investors or advertisements. This means that we are completely, 1000000% funded by our community of dedicated readers, followers, and supporters via our Patreon, t-shirt sales, sticker sales, workshops, and fundraisers. We are SO CLOSE to gaining 501(c)3 status so we can be eligible for grants as well!

Who Makes Up Our Team?

Erin Monahan is the founder, a contributing writer, and co-facilitator of our workshops. Christina Torres of Cyclista Zine is a contributing writer and co-facilitator as well. Shiloah Williams is also a contributing writer and editor.

Since Terra’s beginnings, our team has consisted of a network of friends and dedicated supporters who are based across Turtle Island and beyond.

Some significant contributors and co-facilitators in the past have been: Jolie Varela, Jordan Merica, Brittney Okabe, Dez Ramirez, Keithlee Spangler, Lorena Jasis-Wallace, Larissa Nez, Nia Abram, Clio Cy, and Alyssa Denay Carter. Without these folks we wouldn’t have the Terra you see today and we are eternally grateful.

What is the long-term vision for Terra?

Oh my goddess, so much! We are just getting started! We have big dreams to become a multi-media platform like our name, Terra Incognita Media, implies. Right now, we publish our content online, but we are making moves towards a bi-annual print magazine!

We are also plotting and scheming plans for a podcast!

Where Did the Name “Terra Incognita Media” Come From?

"terra incognita" means "unknown land." This is a phrase cartographers would use to label areas that were "undiscovered." However, this American myth of the land being "undiscovered," led to the ongoing process of European colonization and the continued genocide of Indigenous peoples. We use this phrase to draw attention to this erasure, as well as the many other myths that the United States insists on.

Another myth we work to expose and dismantle through our platform is the myth of “inherent goodness” as Professor Eddie Glaude Jr., the chair of Princeton’s Department of African American Studies. White supremacy conditions us to believe in our “inherent goodness,” when in reality this country was built on Indigenous genocide and Black enslavement, which was fueled by white people’s commitment to the construct of whiteness and this commitment continues to this day through ongoing colonization. We encourage our community to not look away from these hard truths, but to constantly uproot them in all of facets of our society, so we can build something new and equitable for all.

You can read more about the commitment to the construct of whiteness here, here, and here.

We encourage action towards white accountability, sovereignty and #landback for Indigenous communities, and reparations for Black folks.

Never underestimate the power of $1. Your support means the world to us.

Thank you.

-The Terra Team

When do cis white men willingly and on their own accord check their privilege, positionality, and power? 👀 Too often they desperately seek flimsy, fragile rationalizations for their violent behavior. 🌊 In 2016, associate editor of The Inertia @theinertia , Dylan Heyden, wrote an article titled, “Is the World Famous Shaka A Form of Cultural Appropriation?” He begins by asking another question, perhaps more to the point then he realizes: “What is my culture?” As a cis white male from Southern California, Heyden seemed to have been on the right track. It is crucial for white people to interrogate just what exactly is white culture. 🌊 There was hope that through this questioning Heyden would incorporate an analysis of his positionality, privilege, and power in relation to cultural appropriation because cultural appropriation is inherently linked to Whiteness and how it functions. But his ramblings were disappointingly white-centering, so we helped him out and offer our analysis: “Surf Culture’s Continued Appropriation of the Shaka.” Link in profile. 🌊

According to the @mpjinstitute "Marsha P. Johnson was an activist, self-identified drag queen, performer, and survivor. She was a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Marsha went by 'Black Marsha' before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. The 'P' stood for 'Pay It No Mind,' which is what Marsha would say in response to questions about her gender." 🌈 If your Pride is not centering, uplifting, and honoring Black, Queer, Trans womxn, and if your Pride doesn't advocate for anti-police brutality then you are upholding white supremacy. Corporations like @planetgranite who engage in "Rainbow Capitalism," by decorating with Pride flags, but take no stance on anti-police brutality are doing nothing in honor of why Pride was started in the first place. 🌈Check out our latest essay on the site for more details about the history of the Pride movement and the Stonewall Uprising that started it all. We hope you are advocating for the protection of Black, Queer, Trans womxn in your spheres of influence. We all have influence and the ability to make change. In solidarity, The Terra Team 🌈

Our #StopGlorifyingJohnMuir swag fundraiser is still going strong. Link in bio to get a cozy sweatshirt, a cute tank or tee, or long-sleeve if that's your fit! We are raising funds for paying our contributors and to put financial power towards our print issue, "Ethereal." For updates, join our email list -- link in bio for that too! Who are you honoring instead of these white fuck bois?

We are seeking co-conspirators! 🌿Terra Incognita Media is comprised of a three person team: Brittney Okabe @b.okabe , Keithlee Spangler @keithlee_ , and Erin Monahan @erin.k.monahan — We are currently seeking to fill 3 more co-founding/co-conspirator positions to start as soon as possible! Our “headquarters” are in Portland, Oregon, but this position is remote and will remain open until filled. We highly encourage Black, Indigenous, People of Color candidates to apply. 🌿As a co-conspirator, you will have control over the direction of Terra Incognita Media. Behind the scenes, we do not adhere to traditional hierarchies. We operate as a collective. We value what everyone brings to the collective. We work side by side, sharing ideas, strategies, approaches, styles, and skills towards the goal of building Terra Incognita Media into a thriving, sustainable online and print publication, a podcast, a film production company/festival, as well as a producer of anti-oppressive events and workshops. Together, we will share the responsibility of the “start-up” of Terra Incognita Media, and the long-term risk and opportunities associated with starting an independent non-profit company. 🌿 link in bio for more details!

Jewel Cadet, @jewel_thegem the Associate Director of Programs at The Center for Anti-Violence Education, reminds us via her Instagram at the start of Pride this June that Stonewall was a riot started by Black and Brown trans womxn, one of the leaders being the incomparable, Marsha P. Johnson. For Pride this year in 2019, 50 years post-Stonewall, Cadet moderated a panel called Black Queer and Trans Lives Matter: The Future of Anti-Police Brutality Movements. Cadet invited Kiara St. James @kiarainthecity of NY Transgender Advocacy Group, David Johns @mrdavidjohns of National Black Justice Coalition, Kei Williams @blackboikei of Black Lives Matter, leading Queer and Trans Black radical organizers to discuss the evolution of Black Lives Matter movements against police harassment and violence. Cadet opened with saying the names of of Black Trans womxn who have been murdered, as well as uplifted the work of Elle Hearns @soulfreedreams the founder of the Marsha P. Johnson Institute @mpjinstitute — If your organization, corporation, or company is not honoring and uplifting the lives of Black Queer and Trans people 365 days a year, and you’re not considering your impact on the Black Queer and Trans communities in your area, then you are not honoring Pride. ✨ Cadet asked the panelists, “What’s one word or phrase that comes to mind when you think of police?” Kiara St. James responded with saying, “Often times as a Black trans woman and my relationship with the police they are not there to protect me and folx who come from my community, and I would say that they are not an ally.” For the most part, the police do not protect Black trans womxn. Jewel Cadet reinforced that police are the enemy. — excerpt from the latest essay on the site, link in bio to read more. 🌈🔥💥

Terra tees on sale now! Link in bio. ✨🔥💥If we need to re-think our heroes, what else do we need to re-think? We all exist on stolen land. Inform yourself about the land you are on and advocate for Indigenous presence, influence, representation, and rights in your sphere of influence. Follow @indigenouswomenhike @joewhittlephotography @indigenousrising @nativein_la @nativeapprops @amrpodcast ✨ Questions to consider: How are our organizations set-up? How can we get rid of hierarchy, which is a product of white supremacy? What about the pace of how we do work --- sense of urgency is a characteristic of white supremacy. What about how we treat each other? Are we caring and making room for mental health days? Does our organization's impact create equitable outcomes for all? ✨ We hope these T-shirts will help you start conversations about those we glorify, as well as instigate action against the myriad ways white supremacy shows up in ourselves, our organizations, and social circles.

“We imagine ourselves in ways that other people won’t allow themselves to. We experience our bodies in ways that other people do not. We have so much to teach, to give, to offer. We deserve respect, space, and autonomy,” -fēnix grace @born.of.trees ✨Link in bio to read the whole piece! — P.S. are you signed up for our newsletter? It’s about to drop and we have some exciting new announcements you won’t want to miss! We often fill our emails with lots of highlights, insights, info, and announcements that we can’t deliver through Instagram’s limited platform. Subscribe by visiting our website or send us a DM (right now ☺️) and we will add you to our list! 📝🥰✨💗🌈 happy pride lovelies! 🌈

“If you are not interrogating why Black trans womxn are not signing up for memberships, are not leading team meetings, are not teaching the belay lessons themselves, etc, then it is clear that you are only in it to keep yourselves in power and in comfort, and you are not really trying to be in solidarity with those who created Pride. If you are not working to make tangible, actual changes to your so-called ‘PG Vibe’ then you are doing nothing in the name of Pride. 🌈 What is Planet Granite doing to be in solidarity with the Black, Queer, Trans communities when they experience police brutality, abuse, and violence?” 🌈 excerpt from the latest on the site. Link in bio. 🌈 @planetgranite @earthtreks please take notes 📝

We encourage you to follow one of our incredible contributing artists @southernbaptistmulattaslut — her work is a divine visual, physical memoriam to cultural memory rooted in queerness and Blackness. ✨alyssa (b. 1996) is an artist, performer, aspiring herbalist and birth worker based in Brooklyn. Alyssa weaves “skins” to be worn, performed in, and shown. With these exos’s she examines embodiment and performance of intersecting identities (specifically queerness and blackness) using both weaving & printmaking techniques to explore bodies rooted in spaces and places rooted in bodies—inherited cultural memory—joy, resilience, means of self-preservation, ancestral strength and both literal and metaphorical processes of shedding, and what is left after shed. ✨🌪 🍃

Introducing our newest Terra co-conspirator, @keithlee_ 💥Keithlee “believes that meaningful social change is possible only when those most impacted by toxic systems are in charge of the arc of change, what disability activists have long referred to as ‘nothing about us without us,’ and what Paolo Friere and others have called ‘building with, not for.’ This means that I strive to move beyond inclusion in work places, media, and social movements; and aim instead to dismantle the systems and structures of exclusion. I look forward to bringing this approach to the collective strategizing, brainstorming, community-building, and skills sharing of this position. ✨ My interest in joining this team is driven by my desire to situate myself and the work I do at the intersection of justice and joy, and contributing to building a strong feminist response to the outdoor industry does exactly that. I'm grateful for the voice and vision I've experienced of Terra Incognita, and admire the space it takes up. I'm excited to put values into practice -- centering anti-racism, feminism, disability justice, and equity through vulnerable and powerful content creation and management.” — so honored to have Keithlee and Yuba by our side to co-create a sustaining future for Terra! 🥰✨

Beautiful art by @_____ember ✨”Why do some of us have such intense and hate-filled relationships with our cycles? This answer differs according to who you ask and their unique story, and what I have found in my own self-investigation processes is that hatred for my cycle is connected to what it represents to me. Or what I have been taught by cis-heteropatriarchy that bleeding is supposed to be about. ✨ It’s about “womanhood”, and every time I get my period, I am confronted again with my own dysphoria and gender trauma. I am not a woman, though, and so somehow I must be wrong. People assume that I am a woman though, and that hurts. All the fucking time (seriously, stop doing that). I cannot fit into the mainstream conversations that happen about periods. They are not written for people like me. They are actually written to erase and make invisible my identity or any identity that is not cis (and usually also white/straight) women. ✨ The people who would have taught me what it is like to be non-binary/gender creative and have a period have been killed long ago. Now, I am talking about the mass global genocide of transgender and gender creative folks that has happened (and continues to happen) at the hands of white supremacist and patriarchal colonizing forces.” — except from “Bleeding While Non-Binary,” a new essay on the site by fēnix grace — a writer, film-maker, interdisciplinary artist, and facilitator. they are an apprentice to the arts of “grieving and dreaming” and to the arts of healing trauma in the body. as a queer, white, and neurodivergent being, they seek to dismantle/compost internalized & externalized white supremacy, ableism, classism, and homo/transphobia through their life and work. Follow them @born.of.trees And visit the link in bio to read the full essay ✨

Heart to hearts on the Dawn Wall. 💕@alexhonnold @jimmychin and hey, @jaredleto this is a PSA for you too since all you fuck boys like to hang out together.👀✨💩#climbingporn #dawnwall #stopglorifyingjohnmuir

Behind the scenes it can get a little chaotic with a small team. Things get lost in email threads as we figure out more streamlined ways of functioning. The good news is that we are GROWING and with that will come a new evolution of @terraincognitamedia !! (P.S. we are still hiring co-conspirators and we are prioritizing BIPOC candidates!) We have incredible content that we are working on getting published. To keep yourself updated with everything that is happening and the new content that is churning out be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. That’s where most of our magic REALLY happens. We make sure to keep you posted about what we have our hearts and minds focused on, readings and podcasts that are keeping us busy, as well as any promotions like our #stopglorifyingjohnmuir merchandise fundraiser that is still going strong! Thanks for growing with us as always. 🌱🌸💯

Research about missing and murdered indigenous womxn #mmiw and advocate for better protection for indigenous womxn against racial and sexual violence. This is a public health issue. Google this story from @guardian — the numbers are staggering. The majority of these murders are committed by non-Native people on Native-owned land. This happens down the street in homes reports the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. The US Department of Justice found that Indigenous womxn face murder rates that are more than 10x the national average. If you don’t know about “man camps” please get informed. Environmental justice is inextricable with the health of indigenous womxn. The health of the planet is inextricably tied to the health of the most marginalized. White supremacy is killing indigenous womxn. The terrifying truth is that non-Native people can get away with murdering indigenous womxn because of racial bias/racism and misogyny. The police are not trained to care for indigenous womxn. Our system is not a “justice” system. It is set up to perpetuate violence and continue the project of colonialism. The #MMIW epidemic is a tactic of extraction and economic exploitation. The sexual violence of #MMIW is the same violent war waged against our Mother Earth. If you aren’t fighting for both, you are not fighting for either.

“The farmed landscape blurred as we sped down the highway, our thoughts never lingering on the fact that we are colonizers traveling to Osage, Miami, and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) territories about to move into a house that sits on land that is not ours.” — new content link in bio.

Last call to buy #stopglorifyingjohnmuir swag! Lots of styles, colors and sizes available!! Link in bio 🕸🌿🌸

These stickers are on sale!! Divest from organizations like @accessfund @americanalpine and @sierraclub and start investing in Indigenous Resistance by funding @ndn.o and @indigenouswomenhike and @indigenouswomxnclimb — #repost @ndn.o ・・・ ~new sticker alert~ . If they won’t cover our issues on the news, let’s bring it to the streets.

New content. Link in bio. @terraincognitamedia co-conspirator, Erin Monahan, shares her reflections on how Christian Beckwith and SHIFT prove to be a serious lesson in accountability and how we need to question white people’s role in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Here is an excerpt: 🌿 “If Christian Beckwith and the SHIFT board want to make amends they need to dissolve SHIFT. They need to step down completely and acknowledge that anything created from hierarchy and abuse of power will only oil the machine of white supremacy. Beckwith is not going to solve his healing by attending some DEI trainings, or by hiring more Black, Indigenous, People of Color to his board. SHIFT cannot be saved by inserting someone who is not a cis white male. Despite it’s “non-profit” status, the entire organization of SHIFT has been built to profit the town of Jackson, Wyoming. SHIFT is the perfect smoke and mirrors set-up for the ‘good old boys’ of Jackson to keep asserting their power. If they can just make it look like they care, and choreograph a performance of inclusion and equity, then they can remain in positions where they benefit at the expense of everyone else, particularly at the expense of the indigenous communities who experience ongoing colonization and genocide. 🌫 Christian Beckwith and I confront similar internal issues, aside from his position of power as a cis male. As a white woman I am constantly questioning why I enter into the work, spaces, conversations, that I engage in. Where do I need to check myself? How can I check myself in order to prevent harm? I ask myself questions that I wish Christian Beckwith would ask himself: How can I stop myself from acting on my superiority complex? How can I stop myself from needing to be included in everything, or how can I heal my need to share my opinion on everything? Is this my whiteness taking over, or do I genuinely have something to contribute of actual value? Will this add to what is happening, or am I doing this/saying this for myself just to center myself?” — link in bio for more. 🌿 #wonttakeshiftanymore #dismantlewhitesupremacy #christianbeckwithresign @shift_jh

Catch @flying_tortuga right now on insta live with @vasu_sojitra chatting about #wonttakeshiftanymore ❤️#repost ・・・ On “catering to white allies.” I do not see the need to write posts catering to you, asking you to remain with us as we work towards social justice in the outdoor space or greater community, or making you feel reassured in your efforts. Do you want to know why? - Because society has celebrated you every day. And it has been this way since Cristóbal Pendejo Colón first set foot on my ancestral in 1492. So why “white ally” should I be inclined to take my time to celebrate you, when there are so many activists in my community whose voices have been historically erased? Whose courage to step up and help their communities have been met with solidarity and love but also criticism and scorn. - If you are truly an ally to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, to the LBGTQIA2+ community, to the non-binary community, to the differently abled community, to womxn and femmes, and to other beings in the natural world that are more than human, than there would be no need for me to take my time to ask you to remain with us. I wouldn’t have to fear my voice scaring you away because you would understand that my pain is a call to action. That you can use your privilege as a way to act for us, to be in solidarity with us, and to elevate us. If you are truly a “white ally” you wouldn’t ask to be centered, you wouldn’t need accolades, because you would understand that the people who need to be uplifted are the ones who have been most hurt by the systems of oppression placed by our society right now. - If you are a “white ally” you would understand that there is still so much work to do. With the utmost respect, Nadio the Turtle Lover. Below I will mention some POC led orgs that inspire me 🐢✨💕 - This photo was taken on the ancestral land of the Southern Paiute and Cahuilla people. Known today as Joshua Tree National Park. - #wonttakeshiftanymore - @melaninbasecamp @wilddiversity @issavibeadventures @browngirlsclimb @boccrew @pgmonesummit @midwestcolorcamp @indigenouswomenhike @queernature @nativewomenswilderness @teamblackstarskydivers @outdoorjo

After a coalition of 17+ people came forward to speak the truth about their traumatic experiences at SHIFT, a conservation conference that has claimed to be an “inclusive” space dedicated to “diversity,” Christian Beckwith, the Executive Director, is staying put even after countless demands for him to resign. Despite thousands of calls for him to step down from coalition supporters in the form of letters, emails, Instagram stories/posts, Facebook messages, and a Medium site dedicated to his removal and accountability, Beckwith and Shift’s Board of Directors continue to center his “growth” and “learning” at the expense of 17+ Black, Indigenous, people of color who were harmed and are now experiencing re-traumatization.— new content link in bio. // @Vasu_sojitra is hosting Instagram live discussions with several co-organizers this week. Follow Vasu to listen live or revisit yesterday’s chat. We will do our best to keep you posted with our write-ups/summaries of the conversations as well. // Venmo our siblings who are on the front lines of this campaign for their unpaid labor (following slide for Venmo accounts). None of us are free until we all are, and these people are doing work that benefits all of us! Thank you for your dedication, emotional, and intellectual labor: @blaakroots @mynameisbam @flying_tortuga @sarahemilia @lapachamamita @vasu_sojitra @lapachamamita @queernature @meliseymo @melaninbasecamp

Thought-provoking since 2015