SOJC journalism and media studies alum Jack Whayland started a magazine inspired by an Align spread he worked on in college.
by Sophie Fowler, Class of ’26
Meet Jack Whayland ’23
Current Job:
Account coordinator at Martin Agency in Richmond, Virginia
First job out of college:
Strategic planning intern at RPA in Los Angeles
Biggest Accomplishment So Far:
Having a recruiter reach out to me to work at one of my dream agencies.
SOJC Faculty or Staff Who Made the Biggest Impression:
Gretchen Soderlund. I could tell she genuinely cared about me and my future. She helped me wrap up my final projects, build a network and think about life after college.
Most useful experience in college:
The countless lessons, mistakes and experiences that come from navigating friendships and social life. I credit much of that growth to the people I surrounded myself with and the time I spent working at the campus coffee outlets.
Best Thing About the SOJC:
The freedom. The SOJC equips students with as many tools as possible, introduces big ideas and then trusts students to interpret and apply them in their own way. I loved that.
When alum Jack Whayland ’23 was a journalism and media studies student at UO School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC), he art directed a piece for the student-produced Align magazine called “Forever Dancer.” The magazine story, written by Ana Haapala, contrasts the spirit of a young girl who loves to commune with nature with the lives of her ambitious mom and uncle, who spend all their time working. The article invited readers to reflect on the contrast between a fast-paced, driven experience and a life that follows the measured rhythms of nature.
When the project was completed, Whayland felt the two-page spread didn’t do justice to the topic. He and the designer, Abby Raike, vowed to one day expand the concept and redo the project in a way that better reflected their full vision. That idea would eventually come to life as a magazine called Mother Nature vs. Mother Culture, which Whayland created with the help of Raike and other SOJC alums.
The origin of a new magazine
Whayland transferred to SOJC in 2020 after a year at Portland Community College. As an SOJC journalism and media studies major, he worked on both The Daily Emerald and Align magazine, where he was a designer, art director and photographer.
Working on those student-produced publications, Whayland found a passion for visual storytelling and collaborating with other creatives. After he graduated in September 2023, he was unsure what to do next, so he packed up his van and traveled along the Pacific Coast for a few months.
During that time, Whayland kept thinking about that Align project, and eventually reached out to Raike. They were both interested in making it something bigger. So Whayland contacted his network of friends from the SOJC and asked if anyone else wanted to work on the project as a copy editor, photographer or designer.
“And then we just built a team,” Whayland said.
They recruited friends and colleagues from the SOJC and started to create a magazine in late 2024. Mother Nature vs. Mother Culture published its first issue in February 2025, and the team became Jetty Media.
“This magazine examines the duality of two forces that shape our world,” Whayland explained in his editor’s letter in the first issue. “Mother Nature is the balanced ecosystem that has nurtured life for millennia, and Mother Culture is the constructed narrative that guides and often dominates our daily lives. We explore the profound tension between these two entities, seeking to illuminate the stories that connect, divide and define us as humans.”
The meaning behind the magazine
The magazine was inspired by one of Whayland’s favorite books, “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn. The novel examines the hidden cultural biases driving modern civilization and explores themes of ethics, sustainability and global catastrophe.
Like the book, the magazine explores themes around adventure, balance, interconnectedness, self-imprisonment and anthropocentrism as well as self-exploration and growing up. Whayland said he’s read the book many times because the themes resonated with him.
“I've worked in Alaska and then in Yellowstone,” Whayland said. “I've always been fascinated with nature and humans' relationships with nature.”
The audience for the magazine is fairly broad, Whayland said.
“I’d say it’s for people who are curious about the relationship between humans and nature, who love spending time outdoors and enjoy reflecting on purpose and philosophy,” he explained.
“Basically, it’s for anyone who likes to think, explore and connect with the world around them.”
A passion project and a labor of love
Whayland funds the magazine himself, and his team of writers and designers volunteer their time. It’s available digitally and in print through the website.
“My team is made up of friends and classmates from the SOJC who work pro bono,” Whayland said. “It’s very much a passion project for all of us.”
The team constantly evolves and produces stories and art centered on the themes of nature.
Journalism alum Jess McComb ’25 wrote a piece called “The Church of Wilderness,” focusing on her time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and her personal and spiritual relationship with nature.
“By narrating my experience hiking a portion of the PCT, I illustrate how nature has become a grounding force in my life,” McComb said. “In examining how my own spiritual relationship with nature has brought me closer to the natural environment, I discuss how conventional religion estranged society from nature by depicting it as something sacred, and in turn, unnatural.”
The hardest thing McComb struggled with, she said, was tying her narrative back to a larger theme while braiding the two together, and it took her around three months to write the piece. McComb credits Whayland for helping her work through the challenges.
“Jack has been so wonderful to work with in that he gives his writers full creative freedom and helps each of our pieces come to life with thoughtful feedback,” McComb said.
Sophie Sebastian ’24, an SOJC public relations alum, is another writer for the magazine. She wrote both a poem and a research piece on the culture of sustainability and how citizens in different cultures interact with the environment. She is now working on a Strategic Communication Master’s degree at the SOJC.
Sebastian wrote the piece while studying abroad. She traveled to Japan, Thailand and Taiwan to talk to people for the article. Researching the article put her in contact with a range of people connected to sustainability. She talked with a metals engineer in the United Kingdom and a recycling expert who works for the state of Oregon.
“Having conversations with people who have made careers in sustainability was really inspiring to me because that's exactly what I want to do,” Sebastian said.
Drawing on lessons learned at the SOJC
Sebastian, who also worked on Align, isn’t surprised that Whayland was able to gather people together for this project. “Jack is so brilliant, and he's so good with leading people, making it so easy and fun for everyone, so I feel like he was the right person to get everyone together,” Sebastian said.
Whayland credits the SOJC for helping him develop the skills to create a magazine and lead a team of creatives and journalists.
“The SOJC showed me the power of teamwork and how rewarding it is to bring different voices together to create something meaningful,” Whayland said. “It also strengthened my creative leadership skills and taught me how to structure my writing, find my own voice and tell stories in a conversational, authentic way, like talking about an idea with a friend over a coffee.”
In the process, he was inspired by a number of SOJC faculty.
“I learned how to cut through the noise and focus on what’s interesting with Assistant Teaching Professor Charlie Deitz; how technology shapes communication with Associate Professor Maxwell Foxman, how to take feedback and grow creatively with Professor of Practice Dan Morrison, how to find joy in research with Associate Professor Whitney Phillips, and how to build and leverage relationships with Associate Professor Gretchen Soderlund,” he said. “Each of them shaped how I think, lead and create in some way.”
With three issues under their belt, Whayland’s team is now working on the fourth issue. Whayland is amazed at what the magazine has become.
“I’m extremely happy with how the magazine turned out,” Whayland said. “It gave my friends and me the chance to be creative and explore topics we care about. I got to build a project inspired by one of my favorite books, ‘Ishmael,’ and we even received recognition from the author’s wife. It is full of great writing and thoughtfully designed. It’s definitely something I’m proud of.”
Sophie Fowler, class of ’26, is a fourth-year journalism major with a minor in art and technology. She is a member of Duck TV, editor-in-chief for Ascend magazine, a student in the Clark Honors College, and an intern with Quack Video and the SOJC Communications team. She worked for the Redmond Spokesman as a Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism intern and also interned for TrackTown USA. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.