New Temporary Venue Monday & Mushroom Embriodery Workshop Announced
Fire devastates Arlington Garden 😔❤️🩹
Dear Fellow Myconauts,
Short newsletter this week after a long week. Some things to note:
A fire at Arlington Garden on Wednesday 5/21 burned down their shed, causing us to relocate on Monday. Please consider donating and volunteering to help them out. The garden is closed until they can hire someone to do a burn site assessment and clear the debris.
Monday’s 5/26 Bioneer’s Mycoverse discussion will take place at Lauren Siegel’s house (thank you so much for having us on such short notice!). Due to the venue change, we will not be screening this ever-so-inspiring video, so we ask that you please watch in advance:
6/2’s Light Eaters discussion venue is still up in the air, so RSVP for the address once we figure it out.
📣🧑💻 Check out my Instagram takeover of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) Instagram account. I have never posted on social media so much in my life, but it was fun connecting with a larger audience about our work! 🍄🟫✨🌱
A Renewed Story About the Living World – Bioneers Screening and Discussion
Monday, May 26th, 7pm @ RSVP for address, Pasadena, CA – Free by donation
The universe beneath our feet and the movement for More-Than-Human Rights are renewing how we understand the living world around us and showing us how to be in better relationship with it. It's a story of life being alive all around us. Where we continue explore a question in the Mycoverse we frequently ask – how to be a good neighbor to each other and the natural world? Where do we find that balance between human civilization and other living systems?
Before our event, we recommend:
Watch César Rodríguez-Garavito – More-Than-Human Rights talk on YouTube in advance (20 minutes)
Listen to Bioneer's recent podcast episode: The Universe Beneath Our Feet: Mapping the Mycelial Web of Life with Merlin Sheldrake and Toby Kiers
🌱 The Light Eaters - Plant Neurobiology 🧠
Monday, June 2nd, 7pm @ RSVP for address, Pasadena, CA – Free by donation
We heard you, fellow Mycoverse myconauts! By popular demand and countless recommendations from folks in the Mycoverse, we will be discussing the science writing masterpiece, The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger
As a fungal curious community, a lot can be learned by Zoe' Schlanger's approach to writing about plants and the incredible emerging field of plant intelligence. Many parts inspire thoughts about plant and fungal relationships. 🍄🟫🌱
📣 Before our event, we invite you to read the book, The Light Eaters. Don't worry if you don't finish the whole book before then, if interest is expressed amongst the myconauts, we will continue discussing this book in July. 📣
More about the book: 📖
“Burning with open-minded curiosity, this exploration of the emerging revolution in plant science will challenge what you think you know and ignite a new way of seeing. Part detective story, field trip, and philosophy, this brilliant book stretches the mind toward a profound new understanding of the sophistication of under-appreciated plants. I feel it as an antidote to arrogance, as it engenders humility, respect, and awe for the light eaters who make the world.” –Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass
“I’ll never look at plants—or the natural world—in the same way again, after reading this stunning book. Instead of trying to ram the square peg of botanical life into the round holes of human biology and metaphors, Schlanger instead considers plants on their own terms, as they actually are. The result is mesmerizing, world-expanding, and achingly beautiful.” –Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
“A brilliant must-read. This book shook and changed me.” –David George Haskell, author of Sounds Wild and Broken, The Songs of Trees, and The Forest Unseen
🍄🟫 Mushroom Embroidery Workshop with Shagoh of Folk Lounge 🧵🪡✂️
Monday, June 16th, 7pm @ Arlington Garden, Pasadena, CA – Free by donation
Join us Monday for an enchanted evening in the world of fungal folklore with Folk Lounge. Immerse yourself in an exploration of the mysterious beings that have emerged from forest floors throughout human history.
We will sew our own spirit mushroom and explore in circle personal stories and cultural narratives, weaving our experiences into the rich tapestry of mushroom lore & the timeless magic of earth's most enigmatic kingdom.
Bring scissors & anything else for comfort. We’ll be working with donated materials. Feel free to add to the circle if you have extra: cardboard, stuffing, muslin, needles, thread, scissors, wire, paint or beads.
More about our Workshop Facilitator
Born in Vladivostok, Russia, ✥✥✥ Shagoh ✥✥✥ is of Armenian and Russian heritage and has traveled the West Coast from Seattle to Los Angeles.
With a background in luxury fashion, wearables, and human-computer interaction, she is a seasoned multidisciplinary design leader, blending creativity and innovation with global teams.
Her artistry spans textile arts, leatherwork, painting, and illustration, grounded in her MFA in Human-Computer Interaction (California College of the Arts) and a Fashion Design degree (Oregon State University).
A trained facilitator, she is passionate about fostering community, collaboration, healing, and shared learning. As the founder of Folk Lounge, Shagoh is dedicated to uniting people through the exploration of ornamentation and sacred symbolism across cultures.
Thank you for reading the Sporinator! Please share our work with your friends, family, and community.
Looking sporeward,
Aaron