Pre-Conference Events
9th Annual Mycelium Mysteries
A Women's Mushroom Conference
Pre-Conference Immersions & Workshops are deep-dive learning experiences with a more intimate group. Add one or more pre-conference events on to your Mycelium Mysteries weekend experience OR just join us for a pre-conference workshop or foray (you don't have to register for the Mycelium Mysteries weekend Conference to attend a Pre-Conference activity). View all pre-conference events below, then sign up on the main registration page.
1.5-Day Intensive
Regional Rainbow - a Survey of the Finest Wild Dye Fungi from the Upper Midwest with Alissa Allen
Thursday, September 18 & Friday, September 19
In this 1.5-day intensive, we’ll go through all aspects of making a full spectrum of dyes from wild mushrooms and lichens. We’ll start the day expanding our mushroom identification skills, as we take a stroll through the campus forest. We’ll peer into the world of the fungal kingdom - exploring the hosting tree communities, the make-up of the forest floor, and the key characteristics of the fruiting bodies we encounter. Samples of our finds will be documented and added to the collective table for all to observe with any abundant dye species going to our dye pots.
We’ll spend the afternoon testing, extracting and optimizing the natural dye makers of the region. Through hands-on experience, you will get a thorough grasp of how to work with mushroom and lichen dyes on wool and the effects of mordants and modifiers. At the end of day one, we’ll have a rainbow of mushroom-dyed samples, a recipe card detailing our process, a color guide to the best local dye species, and an instructional handout to continue explorations at home. We'll start fiber mordanting overnight for our future dye tests.
Day two is a half day and will be dedicated to dyeing a silk scarf and exhausting the dye baths. We will use a simple dye-resist technique to make an elegantly designed scarf and then exhaust the remaining bold colors from the left-over dye pots. Bring your own washed wool or silk yarn, labeled and secured in loose 1 oz. hanks. No mordant necessary, we will mordant directly in the pot. At the end of class, you’ll have a tool kit for exploring mycology through the lens of the arts and will be equipped to start dye testing right away in your own lab or kitchen!
**There is a $40 supply fee payable to the instructor in the beginning of class.**
THURSDAY | All Day Workshops
Certified Wisconsin Mushroom Identifier Class with Melissa Klotka & Emilymae King
Thursday, September 18 | 9am-5pm
The Wisconsin Mycological Society has put together a fabulous class for beginning or intermediate mushroom lovers. Learn about all of the most popular edible species in Wisconsin and their look-alikes. Discover key identifying characteristics, and if you feel extra adventurous, test your knowledge at the end! If you receive a passing score on the test, you will become a Certified Wisconsin Mushroom Identifier, and you will be able to legally sell mushrooms to restaurants and grocery stores in the state of Wisconsin.
The class covers:
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PDF study guide, sent to you by email - you maintain access to this study guide for ongoing reference
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Key identification practices for approved species for sale to grocery stores and restaurants in Wisconsin
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Correct handling and storage of wild harvested fungi for sale
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Use of "Wisconsin Statement of Sale for Wild Mushrooms" forms to document your transactions
Adding the test includes:
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Administered test on the curriculum in-person, that same day
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Grading of your test and communication of your results within 14 days of testing
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If passing, 3 year certification in the state of Wisconsin to sell approved wild foraged fungi to grocery stores and restaurants
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If passing PDF copy of a certification card you may choose to print or use digitally on a website, social media
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Card includes a QR code that leads to a webpage maintained by WMS affirming your certification and displaying the contact details for you or your business which you choose to have visible
Pricing:
$95 - Class ($80 for the WMS Class + $15 MWH processing fee)
$140 - Class with Test ($125 for the WMS Class with the test + $15 MWH processing fee)
*Note: An additonal WMS form will be required for registration. This form will be emailed to you after registering*
Mycology in the Mix | Alison Pouliot
Thursday, September 18 | 9-5pm
This all-day workshop is a tantalizing teaser, offering a taste of the workshops to come. You’ll get to discover all things fungi through words, photography, and the senses. It includes both indoor sessions with shared readings, writing, conversations, image critique, and forays in the field to search for fungi. Bring along a pencil and paper, camera or phone, your lunch, and loads of curiosity and humor! Don’t be shy, this workshop is open to everyone, regardless of your level of knowledge of fungi, writing, or photography.
Energetics for Magick in Everyday Life with Ruth Barrett & Falcon River
Thursday, September 18 | 9am-5pm
Through interactive and participatory exercises, participants will learn hands-on, tangible energetic skills for surviving and thriving in patriarchy, providing and receiving energetic support, practicing the art of centering, and much more. Our intention is to provide women with tools to access their bodily memories of drawing power from the elemental forces that surround us and to become more receptive to the multi-sensory world of Nature.
THURSDAY | 3-Hour Workshops
Mushrooms in the Kitchen & Apothecary with Linda Conroy
Thursday, September 18 | 6pm-9pm
Learn about the healing value of mushrooms and how to prepare them for optimal nourishment and healing. This presentation will be multifaceted, offering information about mushroom nourishment and medicine. An overview of the health benefits and medicinal qualities of mushrooms will be shared and the instructor will offer ideas for preparing mushrooms and recipes for inspiration. In the hands-on component, we will make a variety of mushroom condiments, delicacies, and medicine that everyone will take home. Register here!
Sauna & Bath Rituals
with Gloria Nash
Thursday, September 18 | 6pm-9pm
The ritual process of integrating botanicals in the sauna offers a highly sensory-based experience. This activation of the senses creates an expansion of somatic awareness, which deepens our ability to attune to various aspects of life. We will learn why and how to make a venik (botanical broom), the properties each plant assists with, and how to attune to the field around us—fire, steam, nature, and the individual/collective as we move through the bath ritual. This workshop will take place inside and outside of the sauna. Please come prepared with water, a towel, sauna-suitable clothing (easily taken on and off for flow), and slip-on shoes.
Note: Please do not eat a large meal before attending.
Workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Yoga & Meditation Retreat with Marguerite Ramlow
Thursday, September 18 | 6pm-9pm
Yoga and Meditation will be the focus of this three-hour Pre-Conference Workshop, including the Vinyasa Flow style of yoga as well as Gentle/Restorative Yoga. There will also be guided meditation and the study of Yogic Philosophy and Yogic Breathing.
FRIDAY | 3-Hour Workshops
Tree Lore | Falcon River
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
This class is an exploration of the science, lore, and magical properties of four sacred trees of Northern Europe and North America: Birch, Beech, Ash, and Rowan. Ever wonder why the front door of most pre-modern homes were made of oak, but the bedroom doors are made of birch? Ever wonder which tree gave us the word for “book”? What tree makes the best baseball bats and why? Which tree is especially sacred to “Saint” Brigid, goddess of inspiration and the forge. Learn about these common, yet ancient customs, and why we still adhere to them in this fun and informative class. This class explores different trees than in previous classes at this conference.
Sauna & Bath Rituals
with Gloria Nash
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
The ritual process of integrating botanicals in the sauna offers a highly sensory-based experience. This activation of the senses creates an expansion of somatic awareness, which deepens our ability to attune to various aspects of life. We will learn why and how to make a venik (botanical broom), the properties each plant assists with, and how to attune to the field around us—fire, steam, nature, and the individual/collective as we move through the bath ritual. This workshop will take place inside and outside of the sauna. Please come prepared with water, a towel, sauna-suitable clothing (easily taken on and off for flow), and slip-on shoes.
Note: Please do not eat a large meal before attending.
Workshop is limited to 8 participants.
Sketching For Field Identification with Tess Kenney
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
Crash Course in Mushroom Identification. Learn several common species and how to document them in your sketchbook through a slide-lecture introduction to several mushrooms and their look-alikes, followed by a drawing session and in-student journals.
All materials provided.
A Fun and Fungal Walk in the Woods with Your Friend Rose
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
On this casual little adventure, we will identify the mushrooms we find and discuss their role in the environment and ecosystem. Participants will learn what value their mushroom findings might have for humans as food, medicine, crafts, and more. Whether you're interested in learning to identify and forage for mushrooms, the scientific exploration of mycology, the history and cultural uses of mushrooms, or just want to engage in some forest bathing to improve your mental and physical health, there is something in this walk for you.
Introduction to Mushroom Cultivation with Ingrid Daudert
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
Join us to up your mushroom cultivation knowledge and learn a variety of ways to grow your own bounty of edible and medicinal fungi. Ingrid will be demonstrating a variety of growing techniques: Shiitake log inoculation, totem technique, as well as low-tech pasteurizing of straw as substrates for growing mushrooms. Many of the techniques can often be used interchangeably with various mushroom species.
Medicinal Mushrooms in Clinical Practice with Cornelia Cho
Friday, September 19 | 9am-12pm
Medicinal Mushrooms are our healing allies, producing complex molecules often compatible with human physiology. Lion’s Mane Hericium mushroom produces nerve growth compounds able to cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate nerve cell growth. Another mushroom is now curing chemical addictions, helping treatment-resistant depression and more. We will discuss clinical research, case studies, precautions and DIY cutting-edge mushroom methodologies.