Arthur Sze

 I have been an avid mushroom hunter for the last thirty years. It started when my son and I took a mushroom identification class with local mycologist Bill Isaacs. Over five summers, I learned how to find the choice edible mushrooms that grow in the mountains in Northern New Mexico as well as how to recognize the poisonous ones. This practice helped me look more closely at nature and develop an ecological approach to language. One morning, stepping out of the shower, I noticed a piece of lichen growing on a ceiling beam and suddenly wondered what it would be like to write a poem in the voice of lichen speaking to a human being. You can read the result in this inaugural issue of Plant-Human Quarterly.