Meeting the Mushrooms of Los Angeles: Curiosity, Queerness, and How to Love a Fungus

Author Biography

Aaron Tupac (they/them) is a conservation mycologist, speaker, organizer, and founder of Exploring the Mycoverse, a values-based fungi-inspired community focused on building better relationship with the more-than-human world. Tupac is also the founder and chair of the North American Mycological Association's Conservation and Stewardship Committee and works for the Fungal Diversity Survey, the only nonprofit focused on North America's fungal biodiversity and conservation. As part of this work, they collect fungi for the California Fungal Diversity Survey Project, the first government-funded statewide project of its kind. Tupac teaches throughout the greater Los Angeles area at institutions such as the Los Angeles Public Library, California Native Plant Society, Theodore Payne Foundation, and local universities, including the University of Southern California, Occidental College, and Pomona College. They live in Los Angeles, California.