Leading cognitive ethologist and author to visit Calvin and Grand Valley State
I'll never forget the day I first became familiar with Jonathan Balcombe's work. It was March 16, 2010, and I was in the car listening to this interview with Jonathan on the Diane Rehm Show. I joined the interview already in progress and after a few minutes of hearing him speak, I distinctly recall being on pins and needles to learn the name of the man whom I had already decided, in just 180 seconds, was the most warm, inviting, knowledgeable and articulate animal advocate I had ever heard. After arriving at my destination, I sat in the car for a full half hour, unable to tear myself away, and then made a beeline to the nearest computer to order Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, his newest book at the time. Since then, I have added Pleasure Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good and The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure to my collection, listened to every interview I can find, and dreamed of the day that he would bring his formidable talents to Grand Rapids. That day is February 20! And don't miss his talk on February 21st at GVSU! Book-signings follow both events!

Paul Shapiro and HSUS investigators expose Walmart's Pork Supplier
Pigs are at least as intelligent and emotionally and socially engaged as dogs. And yet, as Paul Shapiro explains in the above video, Seaboard Foods (the third largest pork producer in the U.S.) and Prestage Farms (the fifth largest pork producer in the U.S.) keep their pigs in conditions that no dog-lover could ever condone. Tell Seaboard and Prestage to abandon the use of gestation crates, and tell Walmart you want to see a swift and just termination of their relationship with these suppliers. Unless of course you find the industry defense of these practices compelling. Need some inspiration to move you to action? Watch Paul Shapiro's recent presentation at Calvin College titled Blessed Are the Meek: Showing Mercy to All Creation.

Big Update at WakeUpWeekend.Com!
If you haven't checked out the new website yet, now's the time! You'll find an updated schedule with abstracts and dozens of links pertaining to lectures, workshops, and other events, as well as new posts on 3 terrific sponsorships and a grant and veg eats in Grand Rapids. Stay tuned for further updates on the KINSHIP Exhibition, the Sixth Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off, and the Adoption Benefit Show! Also, please consider liking us on Facebook and sharing our new website in your status to help us generate buzz and boost attendance. Thanks in advance for your help! We can't do it without you!

Posters Hot Off the Press and a New Online Home!
With just over two weeks until blast-off, posters are going up and we've got a brand-new dedicated website up at wakeupweekend.com! By entering your email address and clicking the "Follow" button on the bottom of the sidebar at the right, you'll enroll for email updates that will keep you apprised of all new developments. Look for short abstracts of the above listed events (along with links to venue maps) later this week, as well as an invitation to sharpen up your vegan chili chops for this year's CHILI-TIME SHOWDOWN. In the meanwhile, please direct all ideas, feedback, kind offers to be a clean-up crew volunteer, and early-admissions chili intentions to wakeupweekend@gmail.com.

Mark your calendars for January 19-21, 2012 in Grand Rapids, MI
The 2012 Wake Up Weekend Vegan Chili Cook-off is just a month away! And what better time to heighten the anticipation than to give you a taste of what's in store for the biggest Wake Up Weekend ever! What do I mean by big? Allow me to explain.

Wayne Pacelle, "The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them"
Thursday, January 19, 7:30 pm, Calvin College Chapel
Wayne Pacelle, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Humane Society of the United States, will kick things off with a public lecture on his new book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. Called The Barnyard Strategist by the New York Times, Pacelle's journey as the leader of the largest animal protection organization in the United States has taken him everywhere from animal rescue operations, to demonstrations on Capitol Hill, to the sets of The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen Degeneres Show. Learn more about his motivation for writing the The Bond here, and then join us on the 19th to get your autographed copy at the reception and book-signing following his lecture.

Bryant Terry, 5th Annual Animals and the Kingdom of God Lecture
"Out of the Factories and Into the Fields: Cooking as Inspiration for Liberation"
Friday, January 20, 3:30 pm, Covenant Fine Arts Center Recital Hall
Whether he's urban farming in his home city of Oakland, articulating a new politics of food activism, or dishing up greens with Martha Stewart, Bryant Terry is all about re-envisioning cooking as a powerful tool for exposing interconnected forms of human and animal oppression, and inspiring our liberation into more redemptive ways of eating and of being together around the table, around the neighborhood, and around the world. In this, his second Wake Up Weekend appearance, Bryant will bestow upon us the honor of pre-releasing his brand new book, The Inspired Vegan, due out for the rest of the world on January 24. Meet Bryant and get your signed copy hot off the press at a reception following the address that will also feature catered appetizers from the book.

Nathan Runkle, "Inspiring Compassion: Putting Our Ethics on the Table"
Saturday, January 21, 3:00 pm, 106 Gallery, 106 South Division, Grand Rapids
When I was 15, I was mostly chewing gum, lifting weights, and listening to hair metal. When Nathan Runkle was 15, he founded Mercy For Animals, thereby laying the groundwork for what has become, a decade later, the premiere boots-on-the-ground animal advocacy organization in America. When it comes to exposing the injustices that animals undergo in modern food systems, Mercy For Animals is in a league of its own. Heard about that Norco Ranch investigation that helped to seal a landslide victory for Proposition 2 in California? MFA. How about the investigation of Sparbo Farms that recently resulted in McDonald's and Target dropping their main egg suppliers? Also MFA. When he's not appearing on CNN, Nathan and his organization are behind the scenes investigating cruelty and mobilizing the resulting footage into award-winning documentary films such as Fowl Play and Farm to Fridge that are changing the way the next generation thinks about, buys, and eats food.

A Weekend With All the Fixins'
And of course, we'll set off all of the above with the usual array of Wake Up Weekend fineries: a vegan potluck on Friday night, a vegan brunch on Saturday morning, an amazing art exhibition (titled KINSHIP curated by Brett Colley and featuring work by Adam Wolpa) and the VEGAN CHILI COOK-OFF on Saturday evening, and benefit show on Saturday night! Stay tuned for the official poster and schedule detailing the whole nine yards COMING SOON! As ever, all of these terrific community events--with the exception of the Saturday brunch ($12)--are free and open to the public! See you at Wake Up Weekend 2012!

Paul Shapiro on Showing Mercy to All Creation
On the chance that you missed Paul Shapiro's excellent lecture at Calvin College last week, here's a link to a video of the talk courtesy of the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship. Stay tuned for some amazing photos of what showed up at the Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck following the talk!

A Feast For the Mind, Heart, and Stomach with a Great American Activist!
Paul Shapiro is on the vanguard of the American animal protection movement. When Paul talks about animals and food, people listen. From members of the food industry, to journalists and social critics who write about it, to animal advocates seeking to reform it, all parties to the discussion are playing close attention to Paul Shapiro.

Paul's talk, "Blessed Are the Meek: Showing Mercy to All Creation", will address the prominent role played by the standard American diet in exacerbating various moral and practical problems for human beings, animals, and the environment, and then go on to suggest that a commitment to more intentional eating practices can be a powerful tool for people of faith who wish to seek justice, love mercy, and tread a bit more lightly on the planet. Wherever one may stand on matters religious, all animal advocates have a vested interest in being able to understand and communicate with audiences of faith, so coming out to hear what Paul has to say is in everyone's best interest!

Please join us for a Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck immediately following the talk. This potluck is the perfect opportunity for those unfamiliar with the diversity, beauty, and deliciousness of plant-based cuisine to enjoy a very pleasant surprise! The hope is that anyone and everyone who loves a good old fashioned holiday feed will join the fun! If you cook, please consider showing off your talents by bringing a dish to share. Also, please bring your own table service to help us decrease our carbon footprint.

To learn more about the speaker, visit the websites for the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship or the Humane Society of the United States. For inspiration on what to bring to the potluck, visit ChooseVeg.com or VegKitchen.com. Hope to see you on Monday!

Mushroom Carpaccio served on a Himalayan Salt Block
I've known for years that Chef Kevin Dunn is a vegan culinary genius, but virtually every time I experience his chops at The Heritage Restaurant, a student-run fine-dining establishment under his direction in the nationally renowned Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College, I walk away astounded. If you haven't been to The Heritage in awhile or--gasp!--ever, there's no better time than the present! Make a reservation during Restaurant Week and get a three-course vegan meal for $25.

Mock Eel

Onion Tarte Tatin

Black Bean Soup

Vegan Bibimbop with a Mango "Yolk"

Drunken Noodles

Rice Pudding with Cranberry Sorbet

Put on your Comfy Shoes and Walk for Justice on October 9, 2011!
I had intended to get this post up a bit earlier in the game, but there is still time to join in the fun at this year's Grand Rapids Walk for Animals. Get inspired by learning about the history and the vision behind this long-standing Farm Sanctuary tradition, and then visit the Facebook pages of Grand Rapids Walk for Animals and VegWestMichigan for details on how to get involved. Even if you can't commit to fundraising as a registered walker, you can always make a pledge of support to any of the 50+ people in our community who have already signed up to carry the banner for Grand Rapids!

Hey Couch Potatoes! Need a Little Extra Motivation?
Would you be more enthusiastic about skipping Bones re-runs to get out for the walk if Bones herself told you git 'er done? Well, turns out you're in luck! Listen to Bones and join the team or make a pledge!