Read, watch, listen: Mushroom Edit
READ
The Mushroom at the End of the World – Anna Tsing
Tsing explores “What a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planet” as she follows the journey of matsutake – one of the most valuable mushrooms in the world – through its capitalist lifecycle.
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The OG of trippy literature, Lewis Carrol’s Wonderland features a caterpillar sat on a mushroom. “One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter”, says the Catapiller also giving us an epic Jefferson Airplane moment.
Entangled Life – Merlin Sheldrake
A book that tells stories from a scientific and philosophical perspective, exploring the relevance and power of over 2 million species of fungi.
The Mushroom Fan Club – Elise Gravel
A whimsical, feel-good book about mushroom hunting, illustrated to felt-tip perfection by Gravel. Aimed at children, the book takes colourful turns through the topic in an accessible and wonderfully weird way.
WATCH
Fantastic Fungi (Netflix)
Journey into the depths of the forests and the underground networks of fungi. From cleaning up oil spills to medicinal benefits this film has an agenda to talk up the benefits of mushrooms and comes with some fun facts along the way – all narrated by Brie Larson.
The Psychedelic Drug Trial (BBC Two)
Follow a scientific trial that compares the effects of psilocybin (the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) with an antidepressant (an SSRI called escitalopram) on a small group of participants with clinical depression – with surprising results.
LISTEN
Modernist Mushrooms – High Theory
Head over to podcast High Theory to hear researcher Shalini Sengupta talk all things culture and ‘shrooms. Listen to find mushrooms in writing, art and literature from poet Slyvia Plath to photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
The Mushroom Woman – BBC
Discover how Chido Govera – a farmer, activist and educator based in Zimbabwe – has used mushroom cultivation as a sustainable food source to empower women.
Magic Mushrooms: Trip Through the Science – Science Vs
Can taking a psychedelic trip help with depression and anxiety? This podcast explores how scientists are turning towards magic mushrooms to help with psychology. Mushroom fans ‘ditch their tie dye for a lab coat as we go on a magical journey into the science’.