What do the poisoned Emperor Claudius, the Aztec storm deity Quetzacotl and a 5,500 year old Ice Man have in common? They were all crazy about mushrooms! For thousands of years, people the world over have cherished mushrooms as food, medicine and a gateway to the divine. Why do some people love mushrooms? What can we learn from them? "Crazy About Mushrooms: Conversations With Fungus Fanatics" is a radio documentary that explores these questions.

I am a mushroom lover and longtime radio journalist, and I am currently traveling all over the U.S., gathering stories for "Crazy About Mushrooms", which is an hour long documentary that will be distributed free of charge to radio stations all around the country for Earth Day, 2011. Funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and supported by KVMR-FM in Nevada City, CA I am meeting with mushroom luminaries from all over and bringing their stories, and the story of the mysterious mushroom, to light.

Why do some people love mushrooms? It's hard to say, but it seems to be more than a rational interest; there is something enchanting about the fruiting fungi. The wild mushroom hunter feels a thrill of delight, reverence and excitement upon finding a delicious treat in the woodlands. The mushroom cultivator is captivated by the elegant beauty of a newborn mycelial network in a petri dish. A chef smells the rich fragrance of truffles, and the culinary imagination runs wild, fueled by passion and lust. Mushrooms have shaped more than our ecosystems; they've also played a role in our psychological development as a species.

Fungi were the first organisms to leave the primordial ocean and adapt to life on land, and they have led the evolutionary charge on this planet ever since. Mycelium, the filamentous underground network of cells that is the true fungal body, is an amazingly complex form of life that is highly responsive to its environment. During the Cretaceous period, giant mushrooms festooned the landscape, and their successors survived the massive extinction event that brought the age of the dinosaurs to a close. Throughout the ages, fungi have shaped the ecosystems they inhabit in profound ways. As decomposers of plant material, they build soils and serve as a food source for vital bacteria and other microscopic life forms that are critical to environmental health. Fungi also forge partnerships with plants, growing around and through their roots with delicate filaments of mycelium that deliver nutrients to their chosen plant allies. Furthermore, the vast underground network of mycelium aerates soils and maintains moisture levels as a service to microscopic flora and fauna.

Without the fungi, the cycle of death and life would be interrupted, and ecosystems would collapse. It's clear that we have to start paying more attention to mushrooms if we are to have any hope whatsoever of maintaining a foot hold on this planet we call home.

To my way of thinking, we need ambassadors to the fungal world so that we might reap the benefits of a partnership with this massive kingdom of species. Somewhere between curiosity and wonder, these mushroom people wander the planet with eyes attuned to see the subtle influence of fungi on every inch of the planet. I want to chronicle the relationship between mushrooms and human beings in order to promote a broader understanding of fungi. I will do this by meeting with mushroom gurus from all around the United States, and recording them as they conduct their mushroom-related work. I will then interview my subjects, gathering personal stories about their particular focus and expertise. I will also inquire about how they became interested in mushrooms to begin with, so I can share these dynamic and interesting tales as a part of an oral history of mushrooming. I plan to classify each “mushroom person” according to their particular focus; from chefs to university researchers, mushrooms capture the human imagination in varied ways, all of which can help listeners develop a nuanced appreciation for the fungi.

Once I have gathered a wide selection of audio that shows the diversity and ecological importance of mushrooms, I will produce a series of radio pieces that are built around choice bits of audio or interviewee storytelling. I plan to add introductory segments in order to present information about how each sort of human-mushroom relationship is important, and give listeners straightforward information about mycology so that none of my interviewees sound arcane to listeners who are not familiar with the terms and considerations of that are presented.

I believe the piece will appeal to all sorts of people because the stories I wish to present will be told by folks from many different walks of life. Although mushroom people share a passion for the fungi, they are a diverse and interesting bunch. From Italian immigrants who hunt porcini in the Appalachians to Japanese scientists who are microscope deep in mycological research, mushroomers are not one dimensional subculture. Instead, they are a vibrant community with all sorts of opinions and ideas, experiences and dreams. I think that this fact will increase the accessibility of my project to those who are mycological neophytes. Not only are my subjects diverse in their personalities, but they also hale from all over. Mushrooms are not a regional fascination, but an international phenomenon. It is estimated that there are two tons of fungus for every human being on the planet; they’re perhaps the most omnipresent form of life on the planet. Obviously, one can take up mushrooming almost anywhere! Join me as I explore this rich and fascinating world of fungus fanatics!

The funding I gather will be dedicated to my efforts to distribute the project to radio stations all over the nation. This project has garnered support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and KVMR-FM in Nevada City, CA is my hosting station. The main goal is to present the piece on as many radio stations as possible, as well as to provide it online for free, so that people can come to appreciate and understand mycology and how it effects us, our planet and our collective future.