Marian Maxwell in conversation with Ted Alvarez

Puget Sound Mycological Society Past President Marian Maxwell was featured in our Communiversity arts and lectures series on October 26, 2020 to explain the basics of mushroom collecting, including seasons for mushroom hunting, permits required, types of mushrooms to look for, cooking, dangers, and where to hunt. Marian studied mycology under the renowned Dr. Daniel Stuntz and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington. She is a Past President of the Puget Sound Mycological Society (2010-2015), is currently the Outreach Chairperson, and has served as one of their lead identifiers, educators, and scientific display chairpersons for over 20 years. Ted Alvarez moderated the dialog with Marian and our audience as we learned how to explore the outdoors by foraging for a vast Northwest resource—mushrooms!

Ted Alvarez is an editor at Crosscut and KCTS 9 focused on science and the environment. His work has also appeared in Backpacker, Grist.org, Air Canada En Route, Outside, Alaska Beyond, Rolling Stone, Men’s Health, Skiing, Scientific American and many other outlets. He is the author of The Survival Hacker’s Handbook and National Parks Coast To Coast: 100 Best Hikes.