Forest Euphoria

PRE-ORDER FOR MAY 27, 2025

Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

A Groundbreaking Exploration of Queerness in Nature and a Memoir of Becoming from a Queer, Neurodivergent Mycologist
"An antidote to the loneliness of our species." —Robin Wall Kimmerer
"A master class in how to love the world." —Margaret Renkl

In Forest Euphoria, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, a queer, neurodivergent mycologist, offers a stunning blend of memoir, science, and ecological wonder—illuminating the overlooked queerness of the natural world and how it mirrors our own diverse identities.

Growing up in the wild corners of the Hudson Valley, Kaishian found her sense of belonging not among people, but in swamps, culverts, and the company of fungi and amphibians. As she came of age, she realized that these so-called "marginal" ecosystems—and the organisms within them—reflected her own fluid, multifaceted identity. And like her, they thrived outside the bounds of what’s considered “normal.”

🌿 Explore the natural world through a queer, intersectional lens:

• Fungi with more than 20,000 mating types

• Intersex slugs that exchange “love darts” in courtship

• Glass eels whose gender remains a mystery until adulthood

• And countless other species that defy binary logic

📘 Perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass, The Hidden Life of Trees, and The Queer Earth
📘 A nature book that challenges assumptions of beauty, normalcy, and belonging
📘 Blends personal storytelling with ecological and scientific insight

Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nature Writing, Memoir, Queer Studies, Popular Science
Themes: Queer Ecology, Biodiversity, Neurodivergence, Identity, Science & Belonging
Audience: Readers of environmental nonfiction, LGBTQ+ memoir, science writing, and intersectional feminist literature

✨ Forest Euphoria is a transformative, deeply empathetic meditation on the queerness of life itself—inviting us to see the natural world not as a hierarchy, but as a community of fluid, resilient, and radically diverse beings.