Welcome to the GROG, Karen. As a fellow fungus fancier, I wanted to know what inspired you to write this book, and how did writing for YA readers (11 and older) inform your structure and the topics you chose to focus on?

Karen: I always wondered how mushrooms seem to pop up overnight after it rained. How did they grow so fast? It was so strange! And then one day, after we moved from the city out to our home with a big, forested yard, I saw the weirdest thing. It looked like an abandoned volleyball, but then I found out it was a giant puffball mushroom. I watched it grow bigger and saw the spores it puffed out like wisps of smoke. It was so strange! And interesting. I wanted to know more, so I proposed the topic to Lerner and they loved it. And I think YA readers like to read about the unusual and strange too, so I structured my book to highlight those especially unusual aspects of fungi: ancient mushrooms that towered like trees, fungi that smell like corpses, and mushrooms that glow in the dark.

Me: One year a stinky squid fungus came up in my tomato bed. It looked like a chicken’s foot poking up out of the dirt. So I was particularly drawn to your two chapters about beautiful and strange fungi. Talk about why you chose these particular mushrooms to feature.

Karen: I love those kinds of mushrooms, too! Last summer a bunch of golden stinkhorns grew in my garden – they’re called the Devil’s Dipstick. The colors, forms, and varieties of mushrooms that grow are dazzling. I chose to highlight as many different forms and colors that I could to show the immense biodiversity of fungi. And that way I could also explain some of the science behind their function. Some mushrooms have gills that rain spores, some shoot spores from prongs (like the violet coral), and some lure insects and animals with light and smell so that the animals can spread spores for them.

I take photos of the weird mushrooms I find! This is the Devil’s Dipstick that was growing in my garden!

Me: There’s a lot of talk about using psychedelics in mental health treatment. What makes these important to young readers?

Karen: I think there’s a lot we don’t know about fungi and how they can help humans medically. There is some fascinating research happening now, and findings that show how psychedelics can be safely used in the medical setting to help people with addiction and mental health issues. Staying open to these options and learning more about them could help someone heal, and so I think it’s important to understand the different kinds of treatment out there. I interviewed Dr. Jessie Uehling who is a mycologist and served on an advisory board in Oregon as they developed guidelines for using psychedelics in clinical treatment of mental health issues and addiction. Her reason for doing that work was inspiring—she lost a sister to suicide in a place where few mental health options were available. So, I think it is critically important to understand that there are different options for help and learning about whether or not they are right for you is an important first step in getting help when you need it.

Me: I often hear folks refer to the underground mycelium network as the “wood-wide web”. Reading about Suzanne Simard’s research strengthens the ecological argument that everything is connected. What can we do to nurture and protect these connections – and how do they affect us?

Karen: Knowing that everything is connected somehow in nature can help us treat every part of the Earth with respect. Personally, I would never use harmful chemicals in my garden to kill one kind of plant or insect, knowing about the interconnectedness of organisms in the soil. I think we don’t even know how these connections affect us, but just because we can’t see fungal webs doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about them. Learning more about fungi certainly helps too. The more we know about their fascinating abilities and uses, the more we will want to protect their habitats. And it can all start in your garden, in your community. What fungi live near you? 

Me: Last summer there were brain-like fungal growths on some mushrooms near my garden. The parasitic fungus has the delightful name of Collybia Clouds. And a couple years ago there were some mushrooms that folded up like tacos! That’s here, on Earth. But you mention mushrooms on Mars! 

Karen: Yeah, isn’t that so cool?! Mushrooms in space . . . such an interesting and smart use of fungi. Their spores are light enough to travel all that way in the limited confines of a spacecraft. They can also grow easily and have a wide variety of uses (glow-in-the-dark mushrooms for light!). I’m excited to see what scientists will continue to discover about these incredible organisms.

Thank you, Karen, for dropping by. You can find out more about Karen and her award-winning books at her website, www.karenlatchanakenney.com