FOREST EUPHORIA The Abounding Queerness of Nature

With wonder and reverence, Aven Shore narrates this exuberant audiobook about the abundance of queerness in nature. As a child, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian found a sense of belonging in the woods and swamps of her Hudson Valley home and saw her queerness reflected in the lives of snakes, turtles, fungi, and other creatures. In this poignant memoir of queer and scientific becoming, Kaishian takes listeners into the forests and wetlands she loves, sharing the life stories of some of her favorite queer beings, ranging from fungi with thousands of biological sexes to intersex slugs. Shore's narration captures both Kaishian's expertise as a mycologist and her genuine delight in the organisms she studies. Though full of fascinating information, this audiobook feels like a collection of personal stories, and Shore's performance highlights that intimacy. L.S. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2025]