A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words!
What do activists, artists, chili cook-offs, community organizers, eco-chefs, panel discussions, philosophers, potlucks, restauranteurs, town hall meetings, and a combined event total of over 600 participants have in common? Wake Up Weekend, that's what! Thanks for helping to make 2010 our most successful year to date! Have some ideas about what you'd like to see happen in 2011? Send them to wakeupweekend@gmail.com. In the meanwhile, see if you can locate your smiling face among the crowds!

In Just One Week, A New Champion Will Be Crowned!
If you plan to enter a chili into competition, please send an e-mail to wakeupweekend@gmail.com ASAP and tell us: (1) your name, (2) contact number, (3) e-mail, (4) recipe name and (5) recipe description (optional).You may register on-site at the event as well, but it would help us in our planning to have some idea of how many entries there will be. Last year's festivities drew a record-shattering 28 chili entries--Can we raise the bar to 30 this year? Not without YOUR help!

The Details
The showdown begins at 7 pm sharp on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at the gallery at 106 South Division, Grand Rapids, MI. If you have a crockpot or some alternate means of keeping your chili warm throughout the competition, we encourage you to use it. Please arrive no later than 6:30 so that we can have your chili ready to serve promptly at 7:00 pm.

Can't Contribute a Chili?
That's okay! There are plenty of other ways to participate. We'll need people to bring soft drinks, chips and dips, and other finger foods to supplement the chilis, as well as extra bowls, plates, cups and utensils to share with those who forget to bring their own.If you can help in any of these ways, please drop a line to wakeupweekend@gmail.com

Get Smart: Sample 12 Chilis at a Time
Several attendees at last year's event had the wherewithal to think ahead about how to maximize their chili-tasting prospects. Their solution? Bring a muffin tin!

Looking for the Wake Up Weekend 2010 Official Schedule? Click here!

Lend a Helping Hand to Suffering Human Beings and Animals in Haiti
Please consider giving what you can to organizations seeking to ameliorate the devastating effects of the massive earthquake in Haiti. Doctors Without Borders and World Society for the Protection of Animals are excellent places to begin your research on how to make a difference.

Looking for the Wake Up Weekend 2010 Official Schedule? Click here!

WAKE UP WEEKEND 2010--JANUARY 22 & 23, GRAND RAPIDS, MI
*All events are free and open to the public (excluding the optional vegan soul food buffet after Bryant Terry's cooking demo; the buffet is just $10.00 per person at the door). Donations to defray costs are cheerfully accepted. Questions? Write to wakeupweekend@gmail.com.

Our annual two-day celebration of animal-friendly food, art, education, and advocacy brought to you by Animals & Society Institute, Brick Road Pizza Company, Christian Vegetarian Association of West Michigan, DAAC, ExtraVEGANza!, G-Rad, Not One Sparrow, OrganicAthlete of Grand Rapids, Students for Compassionate Living, and VegWestMichigan.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2010
2:30 pm--The Many Faces of Food Activism
Commons Annex Lecture Hall, Calvin College

Stay on the cutting edge of the movement by learning from the people who are making it happen. From rights to welfare, from religion to art to politics, from veganic agriculture to urban gardening to Proposition 2, our panelists know the score. Join us for this workshop and you will too!

Harold Brown (Farm Kind, Hector, NY)
Brett Colley (Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI)
Ben DeVries (Not One Sparrow, Kenosha, WI)
Lisa Oliver-King (Our Kitchen Table, Grand Rapids, MI)
Paul Shapiro (Humane Society of the United States)

5:30 pm--"Compassionate Comestibles" Vegan Potluck*
Commons Annex Lecture Hall, Calvin College
*Hosted by Students for Compassionate Living

At an event where omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans are coming together in fellowship, a vegan bill of fare insures that everyone can enjoy what's on the menu! What's your favorite vegan recipe? Bring a dish to share and find out where others come down on this appetizing question! Need a few ideas? Vegan Yum Yum and Post Punk Kitchen never disappoint.

***Please help us to reduce our ecological footprint by bringing your own washable or recyclable dinnerware*** and perhaps an extra setting or two for our out-of-town guests and last-minute participants; a limited number of recyclables will be on hand for those without table service.

7:30 pm--Third Annual Animals and the Kingdom of God Lecture*
The Chapel Undercroft, Calvin College.

"Animal Sacrifices", Dr. John E. Hare, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Yale University.

*The Animals and the Kingdom of God Lecture Series is an independent event established by a friend of Calvin College. Since the lecture is free and open to the public and likely to be of interest to Wake Up Weekend participants, the College has kindly allowed us to include Professor Hare's address on our schedule.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009
11:00 am--Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen
Brick Road Pizza Company, 1017 Wealthy Street, Grand Rapids

Why read about him in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, or Mother Jones Magazine, when you can hang with Bryant Terry in person right here in Grand Rapids, get some expert instruction on how to battle the social ills of structural racism and food insecurity by eating more sustainably and compassionately, and then stick around for an optional $10 all-you-can-eat buffet custom designed for the event by Bryant himself. Copies of Vegan Soul Kitchen will be available for purchase on site! Already have it? Bring it along and turn it into an autographed copy!

*Bryant's visit is generously sponsored by the Calvin College Office of Multicultural Affairs, Student Activities Office, the departments of Art and Art History, Biology, and Philosophy, Students for Compassionate Living, and our friends at Brick Road Pizza Company.

2:30 pm--Lecture: "Justice for Animals: What May We Hope?"
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids

Dr. Andrew Chignell, Sage School of Philosophy, Cornell University.

3:30 pm--Town Hall Meeting: Just Eating--Making a Difference in YOUR TOWN, USA
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids

Join our panel of activists, professors and friends for an open discussion on approaches to transforming local food systems in cities such as Grand Rapids, MI, Ithaca, NY, Washington, D.C., and others.

5:30 pm--Opening Reception: Named and Nameless
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids

An exhibition featuring the work of Sue Coe, Brett Colley, Kate Daughdrill, Erika Jane, and Adam Wolpa. This exhibition deals with the complicated relationship between human and non-human animals, exploring industrialized farming practices, domestic companionship, and entertainment through the lens of global and local consumption and visual culture. Named and Nameless addresses the construction of societal belief structures and values, and seeks to uncover paths to justice and peace within this manufactured environment.

5:30 pm--Open Studio: The Artist is the Human is the Animal*
Division Avenue Arts Collective, 115 S. Division, Grand Rapids.

An exhibition featuring the work of Rebecca Green, Justin Kellner, Molly Pettengill, and Cory Scneider. All proceeds from sales of artworks will benefit Farm Sanctuary.*

*Please note that the opening reception for this event is on January 15, 2010. Doors open at 6:00 pm with a screening of Earthlings following at 7:00 pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided by Brick Road Pizza Company.

7:00 pm--Vegan Chili Cook-Off
(106), 106 S. Division, Grand Rapids
You know the drill on this one: Best. Vegan. Chili. Ever. (Made by YOU, if you've got the guts to compete, anyway.) All the traditional categories will be back, along with a brand new CHEF'S CHOICE honor awarded by celebrity guest judge BRYANT TERRY!

*If you plan to enter a chili into competition, please send an e-mail to wakeupweekend@gmail.com ASAP to request a registration form. Last year's festivities drew a record-shattering 28 chili entries--CAN WE RAISE THE BAR TO 30 THIS YEAR? NOT WITHOUT YOUR HELP!

9:30 pm--Film Screening: Fowl Play--The Untold Story Behind Your Breakfast*
Division Avenue Arts Collective, 115 S. Division, Grand Rapids.

Since the exclusive premiere of the original version of Fowl Play at Wake Up Weekend 2008, the film has won multiple awards on the festival circuit. Come check out the critically acclaimed latest version.

Questions? Need more information? Drop a line to wakeupweekend@gmail.com! See you at Wake Up Weekend 2010!

Mark Your Calendars: January 22-23, 2010 in Grand Rapids, MI!
It's that time of year again, when wistful memories of 2007, 2008, and 2009 conjure great expectations of good times yet to come! Good times such as, for instance, taking pointers on how to get your Vegan Soul Kitchen up and running from eco-chef and bestselling cookbook author Bryant Terry, or getting the inside scoop on recent animal protection legislation from HSUS überActivist Paul Shapiro, or learning about veganic agriculture from abolitionist icon Harold Brown of Farm Kind. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. You've come to expect speakers galore, vegan eats in abundance, artworks o'plenty, and--of course--the opportunity to compete for bragging rights in the battle royale of vegan chili cook-offs. We're going to bring it all, and then some, so set the dates aside and let's get ready to rumble! Stay tuned for the full schedule coming soon!

Traveling for the Holidays? Plan Your Vegan Takeover Before You Depart!
Just type the name of the city or the address you'll be visiting and let VegGuide do the rest. You can search reviews of almost 10,000 veg-friendly restaurants worldwide, from North America to Europe to Africa to Australia. We have our friends at Compassionate Action For Animals and Mercy For Animals to thank for this fantastic collaborative effort, so click that "Donate" link to express your appreciation!

Country-Fried Tofu and Mashed Potatoes with Chickpea Gravy

Palak Tofu with Curried Potato Pancakes

Uncle Juan's Soul-on-a-Roll with Onion Rings

Tamari-Glazed Tofu, Winter Squash in a Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette, and Brussels

TONIGHT! The Truth About Food (FOR FREE!) in a Neighborhood Near You!
Doors open at 6PM and the reel gets rolling at 6:30. There will be information tables to browse and a question-and-answer discussion after the show. This event is sponsored by Aquinas College's Students Striving for Sustainability, WMCO-OP, and Slow Food West Michigan. Why not make it an evening to remember by visiting Brick Road for some vegan pizza before the show, and The Meanwhile for a local pitcher and some post-film discussion?

Share the Goodness? No thanks!
In Empty Cages, Tom Regan coins the phrase "disconnect dictum" to describe the gap that often separates what major animal industries say about their business from what they actually do behind the scenes. To see the disconnect dictum in full effect, look no further than Hatfield Quality Meats, a "family owned" company that invites us to "share the goodness" of their "conscientious stewardship of livestock" by consuming their "wholesome" pork products. Here's how they portray their business in a recent commercial:

Hatfield Quality Meats: What They Say
And here's what they pay one of their major suppliers, Country View Family Farms, to do in their name:

Hatfield Quality Meats: What They Do
Those interested in holding Hatfield Quality Meats accountable for their schmaltzy commercials, their treatment of pigs, or both of these offenses may wish to register a complaint with their PR department or make a contribution to Mercy For Animals to support the undercover investigations that bring these instances of the disconnect dictum to light.