Weekend of Events + Let's Become Fungal with the Return of Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez
Welcoming spring with a week full of exciting fungi events!
This past weekend, I ended the winter with one last fungi-filled walk with the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center!
The first fungi we met was Beauveria. As you may know, I have a fondness for this insect-loving fungus as they are one of the first fungi I met in Southern California – here’s my Beauveria costume from 2022, we had a group costume of insect-loving fungi (before they were popularized by TV) for the Telluride Mushroom Festival.
Dear Fellow Myconauts,
I am thrilled to be in conversation with Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez next week at the Mycoverse Wednesday, March 26th at 7p at Arlington Gardens. In the meantime, it’s a fungi filled week! This weekend, Saturday at 4pm, open to the public I will be giving a talk with bread-making-supply-store King’s Roost on the arts of noticing fungi and our long evolution with yeasts.
Attention parents with middle school-aged children! On Friday, March 21st, I will host a workshop for kids called Fungus Among Us at the Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival 2025.
Wednesday, March 19th, I will be giving a talk for the volunteers of Monrovia’s Canyon Park and Hillside Wilderness Preserve (for volunteers only).
Upcoming talks:
March 21st - Octavia E. Butler Library Science Fiction Festival 2025
March 22nd - King’s Roost How to Love a Mushroom & The Arts of Noticing Fungi
Exploring the Mycoverse:
March 26th - Aaron Tupac in Conversation with Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez
Save the dates - April 7th and April 21st for April!
Prevously in the Mycoverse… Fungal lessons on organizing was a fun generative discussion coming with brilliant ideas of composting the old and cultivating the new, like fellow myconaut Umi’s idea of creating a “spore of directors” to run organizations.
Aaron Tupac in Conversation with Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez
Wednesday, March 26th, 7pm @ Arlington Garden, Pasadena, CA – Free by donation
We are thrilled to welcome back Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez, the author of Let's Become Fungal! Mycelium Teachings and the Arts! Yasmine will be in conversation with Exploring the Mycoverse founder Aaron Tupac.
We will be in conversation about mycelial organizing, what fungi can teach us about grief, Yasmine's new oracle card deck, and much more. Last year's workshop with Yasmine was a favorite amongst the Mycoverse myconauts!
Yasmine is visiting Los Angeles thanks to programing hosted by Active Cultures, which you can learn more about here.
Note this is a Wednesday gathering instead of our usual Monday gatherings.
Last year’s workshop with Yasmine as we myceliated our community with string!
Spores That Caught Our Attention
Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian – Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms (available to watch if you sign up to become a member, can recommend!)
Scientists Observe Fungi Creating Complex Supply Chains (from published research on the front page of Nature magazine from Merlin Sheldrake and SPUN, WOW)
Endophytic fungi may be responsible for producing morphine in poppies
This lichen comic on Substack was fun and educational!
Thank you for reading the Sporinator! Keep on spreading those spores.
Fungal crusts and the worlds they myceliate – keep growing on the underground, y’all!
Looking sporeward,
Aaron