Fungal: Foraging in the Urban Forest by Ariel Gordon

The essays collected in Fungal by author Ariel Gordon are informative, funny, and an overall pleasure. Who knew mushrooms could be so … interesting? I can’t say I’ve ever given mushrooms much thought, beyond how they might taste sautéed with onions and butter. Who knew, for instance, that a love of mushrooms—or at least a mild interest in them—had the power to sustain and build friendships, both virtual and IRL? Or provide a platform for commentary on Canada’s socio-economic and racial class divide? Or stranger yet, be captivating enough to fill a book, all two-hundred and fifty pages worth? And this is what I love about reading: that I can be unexpectedly thrust into a whole new world—a world I don’t even know exists, until someone like Gordon introduces me to it.

Fungal is a delight. From Gordon’s witty and wry (and sometimes wonderfully irreverent) sense of humour to her thoughtfully researched facts and factoids to her unguarded openness, these essays sing. The author is so familiar in her style of prose that I feel like I really know her. And I kind of do … sorta. On social media at least, I follow Gordon as she mudlarks, scavenges, and distresses over neighbourhood trees fallen to Dutch Elm disease—all things she speaks to in the pages of her book. This is a tangential connection at best, but if I can take my cue from Gordon who has an uncanny knack for conveying relationships as they exist on social media and making them interesting, it’s a connection that feels somewhat deeper now for having read her work. It speaks to Gordon’s well-honed skill that she can capture the heart of online relationships so endearingly, making them seem almost normal. And why shouldn’t they be? Huge portions of our lives are lived out on social media these days, particularly since the pandemic as Gordon points out, and she manages to convey the power of these virtual friendships with ease and, of course, with her great comedic timing.

But there are real life interactions, too. With unlikely co-workers at a mushroom factory, for instance—yup, a mushroom factory (I’m so inspired by Gordon’s investigative spirit!) With friends mudlarking on the banks of the Assiniboine river where she scavenges for bits of glass and countless other treasures lost in time. With her young daughter as they binge on Netflix—yes, a connection to mushrooms exists even here! In fact, mushrooms manage to ‘fruit’ (a term I learned from reading this collection) in the unlikeliest of places throughout the collection, be it through an inserted poem or through a series of diary entries.

In short, I was surprised by how much I loved this collection. And while my knowledge and interest in all things mycological undoubtedly increased, it’s Gordon’s voice that resonated most. She is a gifted writer and I’ll keep following her, both online and on the page. Fungal is creative non-fiction at its best. A highly recommended read.

Fungal: Foraging the Urban Forest by: Ariel Gordon Wolsak and Wynn, 2024, pp. 250 ISBN: 978-1-989496-92-3