2014 Highlights

This has been an extremely busy year for me and my work for animal rights as an advocate for animals who is an author and independent scholar.

This year’s highlight was the publication of Growl by Lantern Books. Part memoir and part manifesto, Growl is the book I wish I could’ve read when I first became a vegetarian, animal rights activist in 1974. Many of my activities this year were centred around Growl and its publication and promotion, including a three-week, six-city trip to the USA.

Here’s my 2014 vegan animal rights year in numbers. My work for animals, including as an independent consultant with animal advocacy organisations as clients, would not be possible without their support, and the involvement of many more like-minded groups and individuals–particularly those who generously supported my Indiegogo campaign.

Thank you!

PS Check out below my plans for 2015.

• Number of years a vegan: 38 + two previous years as a vegetarian
• Number of consecutive years worked full-time in international animal rights movement: 38
• Number of client animal advocacy organisations I worked with, including as a volunteer: 4 — Animals and Society Institute, Compassion In World Farming, GREY2K USA Worldwide, Minding Animals International
• Number of books published: 1 – Growl: Life Lessons, Hard Truths, and Bold Strategies from an Animal Advocate with a Foreword by Brian May (Lantern Books)
• Number of presentations made about Growl: 18
• Number of presentations made about Growl to special meetings of staff, volunteers, trustees, and special guests of animal advocacy organisations: 3 — Alley Cat Allies, ASPCA‘s Washington DC Federal Government Affairs & Public Policy Office, GREY2K USA Worldwide
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  Me and Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies.

  Number of animal advocacy organisations who hosted public meetings for me to make a presentation: 4 — Boston Vegetarian Society, The Humane League, Maine Animal Coalition, Washington Humane Society

• Number of countries visited: 2 — Luxembourg, USA
• Number of universities spoken at: 7 — Edge Hill University, Manchester Metropolitan University, New York University, Pace University, University of Sheffield, University of Southern Maine, University of Warwick
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  I contributed ‘On Recognizing Interconnections’ to Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth edited by Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen (Bloomsbury).

  Number of invitations accepted to join an advisory board: 1 — Centre for Human Animal Studies, Edge Hill University

• Number of radio interviews: 4 — Caryn Hartglass, Responsible Eating and Living, for the Progressive Radio Network (twice); Victoria Moran, Main Street Vegan, for Unity Online Radio; Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan, Our Hen House. Listen to my interviews with Caryn Hartglass here and here. Listen to my interview with Victoria Moran here. Listen to my interview with Our Hen House here.
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  Me and Caryn Hartglass, Responsible Eating and Living

  Number of vegetarian/vegan cafes and restaurants spoken at: 4 — Grasshopper, Boston; Grindcore House, Philadelphia; Moose’s Kitchen, St Leonards on Sea; Red Emma’s, Baltimore. In Washington DC I ate lunch at Sticky Fingers vegan bakery and heard the great news from Doron Petersan of their new restaurant to open in 2015!

• Number of presentations made about ‘Animal Rights: Moral Crusade or Social Movement?’: 2 — The Animals and Society Initiative at New York University; The Animal Ethics Society at the University of Warwick
• Number of critical animal study anthologies included in: 1 — ‘Animal Rights: Moral Crusade or Social Movement?’ in the Critical Animal Studies anthology edited by John Sorenson (Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc.)
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  I conducted research to acquire data for the first report on commercial dog racing in Great Britain from a humane perspective, ‘The State of Greyhound Racing in Great Britain’, published by GREY2K USA WORLDWIDE and League Against Cruel Sports.

  Number of ecofeminist anthologies included in: 1 — ‘On Recognizing Interconnections’ in Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth edited by Carol J. Adams and Lori Gruen (Bloomsbury)

• Number of presentations made about ‘Topsy, An Elephant We
  

  I speak frequently via Skype with Dawn Moncrief from A Well-Fed World. We enjoyed getting together when I was recently in Washington DC.

  Must Never Forget’: 1 — A research project that will become a biography on her life and murder.

• Number of academic conferences spoken at: 2 — The Politics of Species, University of Warwick; Reading Animals, University of Sheffield
• Number of vegan, animal rights festivals and conferences spoken at: 3 — International Animal Rights Conference, Luxembourg; London Vegan Festival; VegFest Bristol and London
• Number of successful Indiegogo fundraising campaigns: 1 — The funds raised through the generosity of individuals and organisations in the Indiegogo campaign helped to fund my work for animal rights in 2014 and, in particular, my three-week, six-city trip to the East Coast of the U.S.A. Thanks you!

Projected activities for 2015 include:

• The Third International Minding Animals Conference in India in January
• Completion of the first draft of the manuscript for my second book
• Travel to Hong Kong and Australia in July, including presenting a paper at the Australian Animal Studies Group (AASG) 2015 Conference ‘Animal Publics: Emotions, Empathy, Activism’
• Speaking tour on the west coast of the U.S.A. in October, including speaking at the annual Animal Law Conference at Lewis & Clark University, Portland

 

 

 

 

 

To learn even more about my animal rights work, please visit my Timeline page. Thank you!