Belladonna Nuit hooops release: Plant Magic – Poison and Remedy

hooops collective at Belladonna Nuit: This is the audio release of our magazine *Plant Magic – Poison and Remedy*

Healing with plants is messy, complex and astonishing. This radio show is a devotion to the green things, the living beings, the magical blooming ones. In the midst of collapse, seeds are still sprouting, flowers are still blooming, mushrooms are still growing. Magic is alive. 

We invited writers, artists, poets, illustrators, plant-and-mushroom-lovers and ecological thinkers, to share their experiences, knowledges, and stories around plant and mushroom magic. Oscillating between poison and remedy, plants and mushrooms reconcile ambivalences. They are powerful agents that are unpredictable in their existence and effects. They hold potential for resistance, intelligence and knowledge beyond human understanding. When we look at plants and mushrooms we see hope amongst ecological grief. Every day we witness this magic of growing organisms, transformation and resilience. We are looking to them for guidance while still learning to listen to their silent, sensual ways. Often, the act of listening itself can calm our buzzing minds and raging hearts and make meaning blossom in a wordless way. In the here presented publication from hooops, you might encounter stories of creating relationships with plants and mushrooms, fungal intimacy, poetic love letters to plants, herbal spells, stories of becoming postcolonial mushrooms, tips for combating the disturbing presence of scorpions, an essay introducing you to psychedelic becoming and many visual contributions of more-than-human relations. This show is hosted by Astarte Posch, Elisa Pieper and Nicola van Straaten. You will hear music for plants and readings from the magazine:

Charms of Reverence by Maya Land

Pretend it’s a grain by Freia Kuper (read by Astarte Posch)

The Scorpio by Marta Orlando

Eros by Nicola van Straaten

Folded and Becoming/Green by Anı Ekin Özdemir