“Do many young boys meet hermits in the forest, and trade mushrooms for wisdom?” Set amid the primeval forests of Eastern Poland, the avant-garde enclaves of Greenwich Village, and the long summer days of the San Juan Islands, Wild Mushrooms is the story of one man’s life, an artist called Eliasz, Ilyusha, and Elias at different points in his timeline. The narrative meanders fluidly between visions of the past—a small boy’s first memories of encountering the faith of his Russian grandmother—the obsessions and malignant thoughts which threaten to destroy a young man’s life, and the moment of personal theophany that brings an old man hope amid sorrow. Beauty, evil, worship, and hatred—monsters, dragons, and hermits in the woods—Wild Mushrooms is a journey of the mind and the soul, of decisive moments, and the insanity of true wisdom. 2022 IPPY bronze medal award winner in the Visionary Fiction category https://ippyawards.com/index.php
