Arts & Culture
Exploring the hidden kingdoms of fungi: Bestselling author Merlin Sheldrake brings Entangled Life to the Deep Read program
British biologist Merlin Sheldrake—renowned for his scientifically rigorous and lyrical explorations of fungal networks and interconnected life—is this year’s featured author for The Humanities Institute’s (THI) seventh annual Deep Read.
British biologist Merlin Sheldrake—renowned for his scientifically rigorous and lyrical explorations of fungal networks and interconnected life—is this year’s featured author for The Humanities Institute’s (THI) seventh annual Deep Read.
On May 31, 2026, at 4 p.m., Sheldrake will take the stage at UC Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater to discuss his bestselling book Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our World, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures.
The event is free and open to the public, though advance registration is strongly encouraged.
The Deep Read is THI’s highest profile event. Previous featured authors include Margaret Atwood, Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, Elizabeth Kolbert, Hernan Diaz, and Percival Everett.
A New York Times bestseller, Entangled Life illuminates the foundational role of fungal webs throughout the world, past and present.
Sheldrake is a specialist in his field—he earned a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University, where he studied endomycorrhizal fungi, which form symbiotic relationships with plants, and mycoheterootrophs, which are plants that obtain nutrients from a fungus, rather than from photosynthesis.
But his book is not a jargon-filled slog through impenetrable material. The Los Angeles Review of Books praised his strong emphasis “on the openness and indeterminacy of mycology, a vastly understudied field, through honest depictions of scientists in the lab and field trying to puzzle out fungi’s unexplained behavior.”
Sheldrake’s book is an approachable introduction to the way all life—human, plant, animal, and beyond—depends on fungal networks, and shows how these profound interconnections invite readers to rethink our assumptions about existence, identity, intelligence, and more.Irena Polić, THI Managing Director and Founding Director of the Deep Read, said that the book is a powerful way to explore the institute’s annual theme this year of Nourishment.
“We chose nourishment as our theme because it reminds us of the practices—of care, of community, of creativity—that allow us not just to survive but to thrive,” she said. “The word ‘nourishment’ carries connotations of nurture, care, and rejuvenation.”
Polić says Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life embodies the spirit of this year’s theme beautifully and dovetails nicely with discussions of the critical role the humanities play in our society .
“His work invites us to celebrate connection, possibility, and the shared sustenance that comes from good food, good company, and ideas,” she said. “The humanities nourish us in much the same way: literature, art, and philosophy feed the soul, helping us imagine better futures and recognize our place within an interdependent world.”
Sheldrake, like Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer Ed Yong, has a talent for humanizing and illuminating technical scientific concepts, making them accessible without oversimplifying. Yong himself is a fan of Entangled Life, calling it “grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world.”
A group of UC Santa Cruz professors—soon to be announced—will serve as Deep Read scholars, engaging with readers about the book’s ideas and offering insight from science, literature, history, and other fields.
Starting in early May, Deep Read participants will receive four weekly digests exploring different aspects of Entangled Life. As the reading unfolds, a series of salons, or public gatherings, will bring the community together.
Later in May, the Entangled Life faculty salon at the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn at UC Santa Cruz will feature short presentations and conversations with an interdisciplinary panel of professors; this event will also take place virtually.
Additional salons will be held across California for alumni who want to gather and discuss the book locally.
The program will also include online forums where readers can post questions, share insights, and interact with faculty. Each salon and major event will feature time for live Q&A, offering opportunities for readers to connect directly with scholars and one another.
The Deep Read is for everyone—UC Santa Cruz students, staff, faculty, alumni, community members, community college students, high school students, and truly anyone, anywhere who’s interested in reading deeply and engaging with important ideas. Make sure to sign up for the program on The Deep Read page to join this community at The Humanities Institute and learn about upcoming events.
In spring quarter, the program will extend into the classroom. Laura Martin, the Deep Read faculty lead and program manager, will teach a Porter College course exploring Entangled Life and the influence of fungal networks across literature, philosophy, history, the arts, and more.
Students will be invited to a special discussion with Sheldrake during his visit, and many of their discoveries will be shared with the wider Deep Read community.
As always, the program will provide free copies of the book to students in the community.
The Deep Read program is made possible through the generous support of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation..