WRITING WORKSHOP – Mushroom Sparks

Writing Workshop

Whether you became excited about mushrooms only last week or have been a mycophile since the last millennium, there was a moment, a spark, that set you on fire.

Join Alison Pouliot to get your spark mushroom story on paper.  That special experience you had as a child walking in the woods with an aunt, harvesting chicken of the woods, and finding it on your plate later.  The moment you finished the article on mushroom remediation of oil spills and realized that mushrooms might save the planet.

Come with a draft, or not, and spend some time crafting your experience into a fine bit of creative nonfiction.

Limited to 15 participants.

Further workshops can be viewed at this link.

BOOKINGS

WEDNESDAY 14 AUGUST 2024

TELLURIDE MUSHROOM FESTIVAL, USA

VENUE: Wilkinson Public Library- Program Room

TIME: 2pm–5pm

COST: Free to attend but bookings essential

BOOKINGS

SEMINAR – Russula Roulette

Seminar – Russula Roulette

The Pikes Peak Mycological Society welcomes you to an evening talk with Alison Pouliot.

Every forager knows the danger of confusing edible mushrooms with toxic lookalike species. In Switzerland, the Pilzkontrolleure, or mushroom inspectors have been saving lives for over a century by plucking poisonous mushrooms from people’s baskets and sending them home with the edible fare. Despite being only a seventh the physical size of Colorado, Switzerland has over 400 mushroom inspection offices staffed by 1500 inspectors.

The Swiss are well versed in fungi and foraging and this has also stimulated mycological research. Yet in Alison’s homeland Australia, all biodiversity – including fungi – is protected at all three levels of government and hence foraging is illegal on public land.

In this talk Alison will share stories of her work across continents and explore the tensions between foraging and conservation, and the different approaches of various nations to both protect species and keep mushroom hunters happy.

Further events can be viewed at this link.

Join the Pikes Peak Mycological Society here.

SAVE THE DATE!

DATE: Wednesday 21 AUGUST 2024

VENUE: Where: Bear Creek Nature Center, 245 Bear Creek Road
Colorado Springs, CO

TIME: 6pm MDT

KEYNOTE – Fostering Fungal Networks

Fostering Fungal Networks of the Subterrain

The earth’s changing climate and environmental issues have come into focus through the demise of charismatic megafauna and the ‘biodiversity crisis’. But what about stinkhorns and slime moulds?

Fungi underpin terrestrial ecosystems, forming cross-kingdom collaborations with countless creatures and intimately entwining with plants. Fungi are especially important in disturbed environments that are the focus of this symposium. As vital pioneers, fungi kickstart colonisation and recovery, yet are almost absent in biodiversity protocols and development planning.

Much of the dynamism of the natural world occurs in transition zones or ‘interface environments’, which are also the domain of fungi. Likewise, the best possibilities for conserving both natural and altered systems emerge at the intersections of disciplinary thought.

Over the last three decades Alison has straddled hemispheres, working with fungi and their followers in conservation and land restoration. In this talk she will explore how can we foster fungal flourishing to re-enliven soils.

Further events can be viewed at this link.

REGISTRATIONS

DATE: Friday 18 October

TIME: 9:30–10:30

VENUE: Tagungsraum, Ground Floor, Neues Seminargebäude
University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50931 Cologne

This event is part of the Multispecies Conviviality Symposium.

LUNCHTIME COLLOQUIUM – The Dark Web

The Dark Web – A Foray in the Fungal Underground

Join Alison at this lunchtime colloquium to hear more about the dark web of  fungi working away in the subterrain.

This lecture is part of the Rachel Carson Center Lunctime Colloquium Series.

All welcome.

Further events can be viewed at this link.

ALL WELCOME

DATE: Thursday 24 October

TIME: 12:00 midday

VENUE: Katholische Hochschulgemeinde, Leopoldstraße 11, Munich, first floor

MORE INFORMATION

This event is part of the Rachel Carson Center Lunchtime Colloquium Series.

WORKSHOP – A Kingdom of Conundrums

A Kingdom of Conundrums – Mushroom Discovery Workshop

The Kingdom Fungi is a kingdom of conundrums. Who are these curious organisms and what is the ‘fungal awakening’?

Although little known relative to animal and plants, fungi are fundamental to forest health and resilience. They create and stabilise soils, nourish and interconnect plants. They provide us with food and beverages, textiles and building materials, medicines and more.

This highly interactive workshop begins around a specimen table, meeting fungi and exploring questions around their natural and cultural histories. We’ll discuss fungi through multiple lenses to elaborate their ecological, anthropological, philosophical, technological, historical and other significances.

How can fungi help us ‘read’ landscape histories?

How might fungi wobble the assumptions and frameworks we use to understand nature?

And what can we learn from their clandestine alliances about human systems and interactions?

We’ll discuss these questions and more as we head through the forest in search of fungi.

 

Further events can be viewed at this link.

ALL WELCOME

DATE: FRIDAY 9 NOVEMBER

TIME: 10:00 – 15:00

VENUE: Palotti House, Pallottinerstraße 2, 85354 Freising

This course is open to RCC certificate students.

WORKSHOP – Visualising the Environment

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – VISUALISING THE ENVIRONMENT

Photographic images shape perceptions and the ways we understand the environment.

This highly interactive three-day workshop explores a wide range of environmental themes through illustrated seminar, active discussion, constructive image critique, and a practical field trip. It goes beyond the literal representations of ‘nature photography’ to address the thought processes behind creating compelling and meaningful environmental images.

Through discussion of your own research, we’ll explore various ways to develop observational, sensory and creative skills, to improve the impact and interpretative power of your images.

Where do aesthetics, environmental history and photography converge?

How can we develop visual concepts to express ideas that do not necessarily translate to words?

And how can we visualise environmental issues such as climate change that are often abstract and insidious?

The workshop is suitable for people with all levels of environmental knowledge and photographic skill (although participants would be expected to know how to operate their cameras/phones). Travel and accommodation costs are covered by the RCC:

Please express your interest to participate in an email to Anna-Maria.Walter@lmu.de .

 

Further events can be viewed at this link.

BOOKINGS: Anna-Maria.Walter@lmu.de

DATE: FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER to SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2024

VENUE: Studienhaus Gut Schönwag, Wessobrunn, Germany

BOOKINGS: Anna-Maria.Walter@lmu.de

This event is open to Rachel Carson Centre scholars, fellows, students and academics.

WRITING STUDIO – Visual Narratives

VISUAL NARRATIVES – FINDING WORDS THROUGH IMAGES

As forms of artistic expression, photography and poetry share much in common. Both are the outcome of intense honing and refining—the art of reduction. Both can convey a point of view or story that goes beyond mere description. Photographers often borrow literary devices such as irony, but writers also have much to glean from photographs.

This highly interactive workshop explores the crossovers and cohabitations of words and images and how they might enhance and inspire one another. Most of the workshop will be spent actively writing short texts using visual and sensory prompts.

Further events can be viewed at this link.

BOOKINGS: Pauline.Kargruber@rcc.lmu.de

DATE: FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER

TIME: 14:00–16:00

VENUE: 4th floor seminar room, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Leopoldstr. 11a, 80802 Munich, Germany

BOOKINGS: Pauline.Kargruber@rcc.lmu.de

This event is open to Rachel Carson Centre scholars, fellows, students and academics.

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – Focus on Trees

Focus on Trees – Tree Photography Workshop

Large old trees are vital keystone structures in rural and urban landscapes. However, the value of these trees is often overlooked in planning such as road and fire management. Documenting these trees visually is important both as a scientific record and in drawing attention to their significance and conservation.

This workshop specifically focuses on assisting participants to improve both their technical and creative skills in photographing trees. Tree photography provides many challenges and each of these will be discussed and techniques for overcoming them demonstrated throughout the workshop.

This is a very hands-on, interactive workshop combining theoretical, critique and practical sessions. It begins with a discussion of participants’ interest in photographing trees as well as any challenges or issues they may have experienced. This is followed by a session where participants’ pre-submitted images will be constructively critiqued by the group (during which participants are free to remain anonymous), followed by a field trip to put techniques into practice.

 

FULLY BOOKED

DATE: FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025

LOCATION: WHITTLESEA

TIME: 10:00am – 4pm

Free to attend but places are limited and bookings essential.

BOOKINGS

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – Focus on Trees

Focus on Trees – Tree Photography Workshop

Large old trees are vital keystone structures in rural and urban landscapes. However, the value of these trees is often overlooked in planning such as road and fire management. Documenting these trees visually is important both as a scientific record and in drawing attention to their significance and conservation.

This workshop specifically focuses on assisting participants to improve both their technical and creative skills in photographing trees. Tree photography provides many challenges and each of these will be discussed and techniques for overcoming them demonstrated throughout the workshop.

This is a very hands-on, interactive workshop combining theoretical, critique and practical sessions. It begins with a discussion of participants’ interest in photographing trees as well as any challenges or issues they may have experienced. This is followed by a session where participants’ pre-submitted images will be constructively critiqued by the group (during which participants are free to remain anonymous), followed by a field trip to put techniques into practice.

 

BOOKINGS: environment@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au

DATE: SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2025

LOCATION: Broadford Living & Learning Centre, 156-158 High Street, Broadford VIC

TIME: 10:00am – 4pm

BOOKINGS: environment@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au

Book soon, places are limited!

BOOK LAUNCH – Funga Obscura

Book Launch: Funga Obscura

Alison’s latest book is about fungi, and the photography of fungi.

The title – Funga Obscura – unites the two.

Beginning in elemental landscapes of ice and rock, the book traces the evolutionary path of fungi as enablers of life on land, and creators of soils and forests.

Crossing continents and ecosystems, we navigate lichen-covered landscapes, crawl in the fungal undergrowth, scale glacial extremes and duck between rainforest shadows.

Please join us to celebrate the launch of her book, hear some stories of her travels in the photographing and writing of the book, and enjoy a glass of bubbles.

Funga Obscura and Alison’s previous titles will be available for purchase.

There’s no charge to attend but please register.

For the full listing of further launches and events, please see here.

BOOKINGS

DATE: FRIDAY 14 MARCH 2025

LOCATION: – RADIUS ART GALLERY, 76 MAIN ROAD, HEPBURN SPRINGS VIC 3461

TIME: 6:30PM–8:00PM

FREE TO ATTEND BUT PLEASE BOOK

BOOKINGS