Join us for a free, public conversation with British mycologist and author, Merlin Sheldrake, at UC Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater on May 31, 2026. He’ll discuss his New York Times bestseller, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make our Worlds, Change our Minds, and Shape our Futures with Associate Professor of History Benjamin Breen and the Deep Read community. Together, we’ll explore the dependence of all life—human, plant, animal, and beyond—on fungal networks and how the resulting interconnections provoke us to reconsider our understanding of existence, identity, intelligence, and more.

Event Schedule:

• 3:00pm: Doors Open
• 3:15-4:00 pm: Musical performance by Le Jazz Hot Duo – (Nelsen Hutchison & Paul Mehling) will play acoustic jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France. Expect a mix of Parisian waltzes, jazz standards, bossa nova, and reimagined pop tunes, all driven by energetic improvisation
• 4:00-5:30 pm: Main program
• 5:30-6:00pm: Book signing

ADA & General Public Parking:

For our ADA guests, the ADA accessible parking will be available at the Hahn Student Services/Lot 101. Please follow directional signs that will lead you to this Lot. Disability Van Services will be available to support guests that require transport. An ADA placard will be required to park in this lot.

General parking is located at the East Remote. Carpooling is highly recommended. Parking will be free and a courtesy shuttle will be available to and from the East Remote to the Quarry Amphithater. Directional signage will be posted starting at the base of campus.

It is up to a 20 minute walk to the Quarry Amphitheter from the East Remote Lot.

Additional Events of Interest:

Entangled Life Faculty Salon: On May 19, 2026, at 6pm, we will hold a salon-style event at the Hay Barn on campus where a group of Deep Read faculty—Professors Breen, Gilbert, and Haraway —will give brief presentations and discuss Entangled Life with moderator Laura Martin and the Deep Read community. Participants can also attend virtually.

The Literature and Poetics of Fungi Salon: On May 26, 2026, at 6pm, we will hold a salon at the Hay Barn focused on the literary and poetic influence of fungi and its relation to Entangled Life. The salon will feature Professors Cole, Hillman, Palmer, and Tseng in conversation with moderator Laura Martin and the Deep Read community. Participants can also attend virtually.

The Deep Read is an annual program of The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz made possible through the generous support of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation. We invite curious minds to think deeply about books and the most pressing issues of our contemporary moment.