Cymraeg Written by Phil Moore, LWA member.
In Search of Mycotopia reads like a brilliantly shot documentary: colourful descriptions, a strong cast of characters and plenty of “ohh” and “ahh” moments.
Fungi hold a special place in our collective imagination. Neither animal nor vegetable the mushroom defined easy classification, once considered the strange cousin of plants. It wasn’t until 1969 that they were given a ‘kingdom’ of their own in our classification of life on earth.
Despite their historically lowly status (throughout history fungi have often been regarded with low esteem or downright disdain), we are coming to learn that these organisms are vital to life and any functional, healthy ecosystem.
Author Doug Bierend’s focus however is broader than the nitty-gritty science and ecology of these organisms. He does a wonderful job, instead, of introducing us to a movement where citizen science meets radical politics, outsider traditions converse with dedicated enthusiasts and where diversity is the norm.
We meet key players at the Radical Mycology Convergence, the Mycelium Underground and POC Fungi Community. Bierend does a faithful job of reporting the intersections of culture and science and how this is reflected in the very humans drawn to fungi. From the outset Bierend admits he writes neither as a mycologist or scientist but as a generalist and enthusiast and it is this spirit of passion that contains one of the book’s major themes: who gets to participate and who gets to contribute (to the sum of human knowledge and understanding).
As Mario Ceballos, of POC Fungi, reminds the author, at the POC Fungi gathering, “Fungi is intersectional!”. Wether you’re a TED speaking scientist, a keen grower or a budding medicinal mycologist what brings these people together is a love of fungi — amateur and professional alike. As a side note we often think of an amateur as less serious, perhaps even unprofessional. I’m convinced, however, that these so-called garden shed hobbyists and tinkerers actually help keep the world turning. Amateur is a word which perhaps we should reclaim. After all amateur comes from the Latin amare, ‘to love’. Surely this is a good thing.
A vast sweep of the modern mycological movement Bierend’s closing chapters strike a cautionary note which I very much appreciated. Resisting the impulse to ‘solutionism’, despite some of the promising and amazing research and data coming from the world of fungi, Bierend is under no illusion of ‘fungi-as-saviour’. The author’s experience in researching and writing this book is that it’s about the less-than-clear, emerging spaces of how we behave and relate to one another (and the world around us) that will be where it’s at. Bierend doubles down on fungi as metaphor by articulating the reason they are so compelling is not so much the ways we can use them to our advantage but how fungi can serve us as partners — teachers even — in realising reciprocal ways of thinking and being. Highfalutin for some perhaps, but Bierend’s journalistic eye and storytelling zeal animates the often mysterious and complex world of fungi in a hugely appeal way.
In closing the book, he signs off with a thought that is part clarion call part salutary reminder:
“Ultimately the greatest opportunity afforded by fungal fellowship seems one of decentering ourselves and returning to right relationship with nature, which will necessarily brings us into better accord with one another.”
Can i get a “¡VIVA!” for that.
In Search of Mycotopia is out now. Where possible please buy from your local independent bookshop or buy from this link where 10% of the price goes to support a local bookshop and 10% goes to the LWA.
