WiLD CiTY
WiLD CiTY Fall 2025 Workshop Series
WiLD CiTY is an immersive workshop series centered on connecting our community with the beautiful and sometimes surprising nature that exists throughout Los Angeles and beyond.
During our Fall 2025 series, participants will be invited to discover and better understand nocturnal invertebrates crawling within the Santa Monica Mountains; connect with their inner poet while hiking through unique urban hillsides; and dive into the otherworldliness of astronomy, gazing into the stars that are ever present above our city.
Following each workshop there will be an optional opportunity to further engage with workshop leaders at a nearby restaurant, brewery or tasting room.
Check out full descriptions for each upcoming workshop below and reserve your spot!
Book Your Adventure Today!
All tickets are on a “pay-what-you-can” scale with a minimum donation of $10, however if you’d like to help us cover our costs, tickets are valued at $50 per workshop.
Workshop I: Not-So-Creepy Crawlers
Led By: Darlyn Prieto, Environmental Scientist & Outreach and Communications Associate at SAMO Fund
Date: October 18th | 6:00-8:00pm
Location: Paramount Ranch
Description:
- The Santa Monica Mountains after dark is a completely different world! Most of the animals we normally see during the day are fast asleep. But as the sun sets, different kinds of animals, like scorpions, are just waking up. Using UV flashlights, we’ll hike a ~2.5 mile trail under the stars in search of these mysterious creatures in their natural habitat. Scorpions often get a bad rap, but they play an important role in the ecosystem and they’re not as scary as they seem! This adventure is all about opening minds and seeing the beauty in misunderstood wildlife. By the end of the night, you might just walk away with a newfound appreciation for these amazing arachnids. Note that half the funds raised from this workshop will go to SAMO Fund!
Post workshop hang out: Tavern 101 Grill & Tap House
Workshop II: Hiku
Led By: Soul Stuf, Spoken Word Poet
Date: November 22nd | 9:00-11:00am
Location: Amir’s Garden in Griffith Park
Description:
- Hiku is an immersive poetry experience that will guide participants through a kinesthetic and meditative reflection based on their environment. In this workshop, attendees of all experience levels can join for a brief, guided meditation, intention setting, exploration of the sociocultural context of the “haiku” (Japanese poem) form, and a few focused moments of generative writing.
Post workshop hang out: TBA
Workshop III: City of Stars
Led By: Cassondra Holmes, Astronomer & Founder of Stargazer Events
Date: December 13th | 6:00-8:00pm
Location: TBA
Description:
- City of Stars is an interactive workshop that brings the hidden night sky of Los Angeles to life. Through hands-on activities, storytelling, and stargazing, you’ll learn about the solar system, light pollution, and the timeless stories in the stars — blending science, conservation, and imagination to reveal that even in the city, nature is always above us.
Post workshop hang out: TBA
About the Environmental & Creative Professionals Leading WiLD CiTY:
Darlyn Prieto
Darlyn is an environmental scientist with a B.S. from CSU Channel Islands with a focus on marine and coastal systems. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental Health and Toxicology at CSU Northridge. With over three years of experience working with the National Park Service through the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, she has been involved in preventative search and rescue, wildlife research, and education programs. She is currently the Outreach & Communications Associate at SAMO Fund, where she loves bringing people and nature together by helping communities connect with their local national park and the environment around them.
Soul Stuf
Soul Stuf is a second generation Filipino American poet and teaching artist originally born and raised in Red Hook, New York. Blending irreverent humor with earnest yearning, Soul loves to tackle love, loss, and belonging within his work and has been invited to share poems for Riot Games, The LA Times Festival of Books, and The City of Paris. When not sharing his heart on the stage or the page, Soul Stuf can usually be found playing Magic: The Gathering.
Cassondra Holmes
Cassondra Holmes is an amateur astronomer and founder of Stargazer Events, an LA-based mobile observatory that brings the night sky directly to the public. She also serves as Project Manager for Astronomy for Equity, leading initiatives like the Big Impact Astronomy Podcast, eclipse glasses STEM programs, Blind and Low Vision in Astronomy, and global telescope donations for marginalized and underserved communities.
Past Series
- Sacred Plant Relationships with Native Culture Bearer, Tina Orduno Calderon
- Cyanotype Printing with Photographer & Naturalist, Stever Meier
- Blue Butterfly Lab with Dr. Jana Johnson of the Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College
- Tending Urban Greenspaces with Carolyn Day at Growing Hope Gardens
- WiLD & Batty with local bat expert Joey Curti
- Pictures & Places at the iconic Bronson Caves with Filmmaker Pavli Serenetsky
- A Hike Through History at Santa Susana Pass with Conservation Leaders Wendi Gladstone & Teena Tanaka
- Native Plant Landscaping at Theodore Payne Foundation with On-Staff Native Plant Specialist
- Paper Making & Plant Dyeing at Will Rogers State Historic Park with Artists/Naturalists Ashley Meier and Amy Stewart
- Marine Science at Malibu Lagoon with Marine Biologist Jelly Kahler
- Oak Woodland Stewardship in Topanga with Oak Expert Rosi Dagit
- Creative Writing at Griffith Park with Creative Nonfiction Writer Dr. Liz Stephens
- Native Bird Walk at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve with Local Bird Expert Dr. Dan Cooper
- Invasive Crayfish Removal in Topanga Creek with RCD Stream Team
- Watercolor in Nature at Debs Park with artist & botanist Margaret Gallagher
- Secret Wonders of Nicholas Flat with local restorationist John Luker
- A Walk on the WiLD Side (of the LA River) with local bird expert Dr. Dan Cooper
- Canyon Songs – A Practice in Reciprocity with artist Stacy Villalobos
- Beyond Landscaping – Reconnecting with Native Plants with plant enthusiast Antonio Sanchez
