When You Wish Upon a Star...

From: Ali Valentine
Date: January 17, 2011
To: Danielle Simmons
Subject: Gift for Drew Porter

Hello Ms. Simmons,

I wanted to get in touch with you because I see that your agency represents the very beautiful and inspiring actress, Drew Porter.

She was recently quoted on UsMagazine.com as saying that she thought that "fur [is] gross..." The organization I work with, People Against Torturing Animals, was founded in 1983 with one of the same heartfelt convictions and we would like to thank Ms. Porter for her courage as she speaks to a generation and has the power to influence so many lives.

As a small token of our appreciation, we would love to send Ms. Porter a gorgeous, cruelty-free winter coat by the leading French fashion designer, Chloé D’Arbanville, for those chilly nights in Los Angeles. Could you direct me as to where to send it?

Thanks so much,

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: January 17
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Gift for Drew Porter

Hi, Ali,

Thanks for your message. I am glad that you appreciated Drew Porter's statement. One thing Drew’s fans respond to is that she’s not afraid to speak her mind.

You could send the coat to [redacted].

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: January 17
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Re: Gift for Drew Porter

Hi Kate,

Thanks so much for the information on where to send the D’Arbanville Luxury coat. We hope Ms. Porter enjoys it! She will look beautiful in it. We will send a size zero: please don’t hesitate to let me know if a different size might be better.

If you think that this would be all right, I would love to send a video and informational materials along with the coat that explore the fur industry with some depth. I think that Ms. Porter will find it eye-opening and deepening of her convictions.  As someone with so much influence, we would love the opportunity to help her become even more of a voice for abused and exploited animals.

Thank you,

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: January 17
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Gift for Drew Porter

Amy,

Does the coat happen to come in negative sizes? That may work better. Drew is quite petite. :)

Feel free to add the materials you mentioned.

Take care,

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: January 18
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: House Party?

Hi Kate,

Thanks for getting back to me. A representative from the D’Arbanville design house will contact your agency shortly for Ms. Porter’s exact measurements so a custom-made, cruelty-free coat that will fit her perfectly can be made. She’ll love it!

I just had a thought: there is a house party happening in Beverly Hills on January 27 organized by Ramona Oliver, wife of producer Michael Oliver, at their beautiful estate. Ramona is doing this on behalf of PATA; she is one of our most passionate supporters. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served courtesy of LA hot-spot Quattro. This is a ticketed fundraiser for PATA but we would love to invite Ms. Porter there as our guest. We’ll also have other celebrity PATA supporters there as well – I can get you a list if you’re interested – and our President, Astrid Newhouse, will also be on hand to talk about some of our bold new initiatives.

Please let me know if Ms. Porter is available and I’ll add her name to the guest list! I know it’s short notice and I’m sure she has a very busy calendar, but I thought I’d try.

Thank you,

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: January 19
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: House Party?

Hi, Ali,

I spoke with Drew’s scheduler and unfortunately she’s not available for that date. Great news, though: we just got the word that Drew has been chosen as Maxim magazine’s Hottest Woman Alive for this year! Celebrating in the office…

Best,

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: January 19
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Re: House Party?

Hi Kate,

While I’m disappointed that Drew can’t make it to our fundraiser, I am really thrilled that she was chosen as Hottest Woman Alive by Maxim! I’m not surprised, though. People with compassionate hearts are always the hottest, don’t you think? PATA had seven sexy celebrity spokeswomen and supporters in last year’s Hot 100 list (eight if you count the model used in that provocative embrace with tennis star Svetlana Petroski) and if the rumors are correct, we are expecting at least that many this year!

This is awesome for the animals!

I would also love to talk to you when you get the chance of mutually beneficial ways Drew can lend her voice and celebrity even more than she already does to helping build a more compassionate world. We have lots of creative ideas.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 20
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Hello again!

Hi Kate,

I just wanted to tell you how amazing it was to see Drew Porter’s interview in this month’s Maxim. She’s so articulate in addition to being beautiful! I also did not know that she loves surfing and dogs. That’s so great! I feel like we would be friends if we met.

The reason I am getting in touch – other than to say hello – is to see if we could work with Drew on a PATA campaign to educate people about the fur industry. Our famous anti-fur campaign, running since 1990, is called I’m Sexy in My Own Skin (for short, it’s referred to as Sexy Skin), meaning we don’t need to wear someone else’s skin, fur in this case, in order to be sexy.

I sense that this is a subject Drew is or could be passionate about given her quote on UsMagazine.com.

PATA is fortunate enough to get some of the world’s most highly acclaimed fashion and art photographers who donate their time and talents to the cause. The portrait would be professional, sensual but tasteful. In keeping with the art direction that that PATA has become famous for, the photograph would hint at nudity but no actual “controversial” naked parts would be exposed. With her youthful, independent, funky vibe, Drew would be a perfect candidate and the latest in a proud tradition of PATA models. With the campaign, we will create a provocative and memorable buzz around an important issue that will then help people make connections between nudity and cruelty to animals. Drew would be amazing!!

Could I send you an attachment with some of our prior Sexy Skin ads?

Thank you, Kate!


Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 20
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Hello again!

Aly,

I ran your idea by Drew and she’s interested. Time is of the essence, though, because she leaves to start filming on location in Stockholm very soon and she’s doing a two-day Bikram Yoga intensive starting Saturday, so really the only time we have is Friday morning and we’d have to shoot in LA. Call me at [redacted].

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group


From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 22
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Tomorrow and Riders

Hi, Kate –

Everything is set up at Magenta Studios for tomorrow morning at 9:30. Thank you for sending Drew’s rider: I wasn’t aware that her make-up and stylist teams would also have riders. Thanks for sending those as well.

As you know, we are a non-profit and we have to make every dollar stretch. Looking over the lists, are there any places we could make some little cuts? For example, is it necessary that we have a glass neti pot, organic tea tree oil, clothing steamer (especially as this is a photograph taken without clothing), on-site astrologer and numerologist, a personal trainer, licensed-and-insured dog walker, a dog chiropractor(?) and orchids on the set? The rest of the list should be fine though we’re having some trouble finding Peruvian mangoes in LA.

Please understand that as we are very grateful and excited to be working with Drew and her team on this important campaign but we are on a tight budget and just weeks away from our big annual pre-gala kick-off in NYC.

Thanks!

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 22
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Tomorrow and Riders

Ali –

I’m rushing off to a meeting, but Drew’s assistant said you could send a regular ceramic neti pot in a pinch and probably do away with the garment steamer. Drew works with an astrologer who also does numerology so that’s just one person instead of two (and her intern but she's free) who has graciously offered to reduce her rate to $75 an hour for the cause.  Everything else, I’m afraid, is non-negotiable, especially since this is requiring the very limited free time of Drew and her team.

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group


From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 22
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Re: Tomorrow and Riders

Hi Kate,

Thanks for getting back to me. I know you’re busy but I just noticed on the rider that you also need a “Champion or other centrifugal force juicer” along with everything else. The photo shoot is going to only take a few hours, hair and make-up included. Couldn’t we have an assistant go and do a juice run? I’m trying to make tomorrow comfortable and enjoyable for everyone but certain items on the list are quite difficult to procure and/or costly.

I don’t mean to be a pain! Everyone is super-excited for tomorrow.

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 22
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Tomorrow and Riders

Yes, it’s necessary to have our own juicer or it wouldn't have been on the list: Drew and her team are very specific about what they put into their bodies. Sigh. I really can’t spend any more time on this, Ali. These are the conditions and if you have any experience working with VIPs at all, these courtesies are not excessive.

Have a good afternoon.

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group


From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 26
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Shoot!

Hi Kate,

It sounds like everything went really well at the shoot and Valentino will have comps ready to show us tomorrow.  I hope Drew is happy with how things went.

I did get word that there was some confusion with some of the people who showed up yesterday but weren’t needed. Unfortunately, we still need to pay them for their time. Any insight on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA


From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 26
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Shoot!

Hi, Ali,

Thanks for your message. My understanding is that Drew had a good experience with the photo shoot, too. She is excited to see the comps, so please send them this way when you’re able.

About the confusion, Drew decided to send her dog Layla to her playgroup rather than pack her along for the shoot, so we ended up not needing the dog walker or chiropractor. Sorry but it was a last minute decision.

By the way, I think you’ll be happy to know that the experience working with PATA, along with the materials you sent, inspired Drew to go vegan! Do you have any healthy recipes you could send her personal chef?

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group


From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 26
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Wow!

Hi Kate!

Oh my God, that’s amazing news! Everyone in the office is jumping up and down! Squueeeee! Drew is such an inspiration to her generation: this could really have a great impact on so many lives!

I just got off the phone with Ramona Oliver and she has generously offered to send her personal vegan chef to Drew’s home to give her chef some tips and ideas. We’re also putting together a care package of cookbooks, PATA Gear and videos to overnight to her. Should we send it to the same address as the coat?

Also, could we get two quotes from Drew for the news release we’d like to send out ASAP? Ideally, one would address her participation in the Sexy Skin campaign and it would be great if the other one discussed her decision to go vegan.

Wheeeeee!

Ali Valentine
Senior ViP Liaison
PATA


From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 26
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Wow!

Hi, Alli,

Drew would love to borrow Ramona’s chef for in-home training session. Have her set up an appointment at Drew’s chef at [redacted]. Just to let you know, Drew is big on low-fat, high raw, low-carb, high alkaline foods so she’s hoping that Ramona’s chef has some training in this.

Yes, please send the package to the earlier address.

Drew’s publicist, Marci, will send you quotes to use tonight for the news release. Please send me the press release before it goes out so I can get approval on it.


Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: February 27
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Press release

Hi Kate!

I hope you are well. I sent the news release in the attachment. We’d like to send this out first thing tomorrow morning, so I’d appreciate it if you could get back to me as soon as you get the chance.


PATA Supporter Drew Porter is Sexy (and Now Vegan!) in Her Own Skin


For Immediate Release
February 28, 2011

Contact:
Francesca Alexander


Los Angeles – When PATA’s internationally recognized campaign, “I’m Sexy in My Own Skin,” is unveiled tomorrow, admirers will enjoy a new face (and other lovely assorted parts) courtesy of the stunning Drew Porter, animal lover and the actress of her generation. Shot by edgy Italian fashion photographer Valentino Buonarroti in LA’s cutting edge Magenta Studios, Ms. Porter proves to the world that sex appeal is more than skin deep and that there’s nothing seductive about the fur trade.

“I am proud to be a part of PATA’s ‘I’m Sexy in My Own Skin’ campaign and I hope that I can use my celebrity to build awareness of the cruelty of the fur industry,” says darling Drew.

Animals used in the fur industry suffer enormously. On so-called “fur ranches,” they are kept in filthy, small wire cages, one stacked on top of the next, where excrement and urine falls on the tortured animals below. To preserve their pelts, the foxes, rabbits, mink and other fur-bearing animals suffer excruciating pain as they are killed by whatever crude method is easiest: most often, their necks broken, they are poisoned or anally electrocuted.

Like Drew, many of the world’s most sexy and stylish trendsetters are tossing fur coats into the reject pile.

“They are a relic of the past,” says trailblazing French fashion designer, Chloé D’Arbanville. “Fur is beautiful when it’s on the animals but hideous when turned into ‘fashion.’ Fur coats are the direct product of torture and no compassionista would be caught dead in one.”

Working on the campaign caused Drew to open her heart to the plight of all animals and as a result, she tells PATA in an exclusive interview that she is now a dedicated vegan!

“After learning about the fur industry, I have decided to go vegan to try to bring more compassion into the world,“ says the gorgeous movie star. “Every time I eat a vegan meal, I am saving lives, which is amazing! I feel great and I’ve never looked better.”

For more information, please visit SexySkin.org.

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: February 27
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Press Release

Hi, Ally,

Looks good.

We’d like you to use another adjective for “darling” in her first quote because she is skewing lately toward a slightly older fan-base than this suggests and sounds too cutesy. Maybe “daring” instead to go with her increasingly edgy career choices?

Also, we'd like you to add the words “Academy Award-nominated” after “gorgeous,” in the last quote. Thanks.

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: March 1
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Entertainment Tonight!

Hi, Ally,

You’ve probably heard by now that Drew is going to be interviewed on ET for her part in the Sexy Skin campaign. It’s set to air tomorrow night, so set your DVR!

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: March 1
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Re: Entertainment Tonight!

Hi Kate,

I just heard! Astrid was wondering if there was any way she could wear the hot pink PATA tank we overnighted her on the eighth? I know I read that’s her favorite color, she’ll look amazing in it and it’ll help raise awareness of our work.

Also, we would love to offer some “talking points” assistance for the interview to help Drew stay on message. Our VIP Coach, Amanda, is amazing and available in a heartbeat!

Thank you!


Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA


From: Kate Flaherty
Date: March 1
To: Ali Valentine
Subject: Re: Entertainment Tonight!

Sorry, Ally, Drew’s stylist already has a wardrobe picked out.

Drew is quite skilled with interviews. No need for coaching. She will be sure to put in the good word for PATA’s work.

Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group

From: Ali Valentine
Date: March 3
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Damage control…

Hi Kate,

We just had an emergency meeting based on Drew’s ET interview last night and the conclusion is that we’re going to need to initiate an immediate plan of action with your team in terms of damage control.

First of all, it was disappointing to see that Drew and her team thought it was appropriate to wear a suede fringe jacket at an interview about her work on behalf of protecting animals’ lives. It’s understandable that the reporter was confused by that clothing choice given the subject, and Drew probably didn’t help too much by saying, “At least it’s not fur. Remember, I said that fur is gross, not suede.” I’m not sure that was too helpful. I wish we could go back in time and have her re-shoot the interview in her PATA tank that we sent you last week, which would have been perfect.

More damaging, though, was her repeatedly claiming that vegans can still eat fish and “occasionally a little chicken.” We’ve been flooded with angry and confused calls and messages ever since the interview aired, especially since we just sent out our newsletter with her on the cover as one of our Big-Hearted Beauty Brigade. Does Drew not realize that fish and “a little chicken” are not vegetarian foods, let alone vegan foods? I mean no disrespect, but how does that even make sense? Did she not see the videos I sent? Was she not given talking points by her team ahead of time? This was why we wanted to have our VIP Coach work with Drew. We are very disappointed because this could have been easily avoided.

Now we have a couple of contradictory messages to the public and this takes away from PATA’s important work of saving the animals. We are known for doing edgy, controversial, in-your-face messaging, but this wasn’t the sort of thing we were hoping for when we approached Drew with the goal of working together. 

We discussed the possibility of Drew doing a follow-up interview with ET clarifying her new understanding of and commitment to vegetarianism. Could you pursue that from your end? We would also like Drew to do a follow-up “oops, I goofed!” campaign for us that we have on hand for our celebrity friends doing damage control called, “It’s Time for the Naked Truth.” It’s a kind of mea culpa and it will help restore Drew’s credibility as a person of depth. Given the fickle nature of the news cycle, it would need to be a very quick response.

Please call me at [redacted] so we can coordinate a plan of action. Every time I call you, I go into voicemail and we do need to move forward.

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

From: Kate Flaherty
Date: March 3
To: Ali Valentine
Cc: Danielle Simmons
Subject: Re: Damage control…

Hi, Ali,

We’re sorry that you PATA are disappointed. Drew was just being herself, as she always is. Despite your disappointment, we have heard that Drew has gotten tons of words of support and encouragement on her fan sites, Twitter and Facebook page.

In terms of the suede jacket, Drew signed on to do an anti-fur campaign, nothing against suede or leather. She would never have signed on if she thought that all animal fabrics would be considered “inappropriate” for her to wear because she does not want to limit herself or her creative self-expression. She is known for her fashion-forward, eclectic, boho style. For example, you probably did not have noticed but while her jacket was suede and vintage-influenced, her shoes were modern bamboo. Her feet, therefore, were green and cruelty-free but the vegans are not giving her credit for this.

We admit that she might have been rash with declaring her veganism without studying it more, but Drew is known for her passion and spontaneity. These are qualities that help her to resonate with her fans. She is real. She may not have considered all the complexities of the vegan or vegetarian diet, but her heart was in the right place.

Regardless, she sent out this Tweet last night on her own accord. Maybe you saw it? “Sorry, fish and chicken are not vegetables. D’oh! #ETscrewup.”

We feel that this is a sufficient acknowledgement and apology.

Given everything, while she appreciated the chance to lend her voice to PATA’s anti-fur campaign, Drew has decided she is not going to continue working with your organization. This, of course, means that she is not going to do a “Naked Truth” campaign, either, especially given all the time she has already dedicated to PATA. Even if she were so inclined, she is doing a cleanse this week before leaving for Stockholm and that requires many hours connected to a colonic irrigation machine.

There are many ways to make a difference and to live compassionately. Drew considers animal fabrics (except for fur), fish and the occasional chicken to be outside her personal sphere of concern. I think we can agree that at this point, Drew and PATA are going in different directions.

We wish you the best in your future endeavors.


Kate Flaherty
Assistant to Danielle Simmons
The Simmons Management Group


From: Ali Valentine
Date: March 19
To: Kate Flaherty
Subject: Hi, again!

Hi Kate,

How are you? I hope you are well! I’ve gotten in touch because noticed that your agency represents the gorgeous starlet Lacy Rousseau. I loved her in “A Cat’s Claws.” That was my all-time favorite movie last year.

I noticed that she was shown on TMZ yesterday leaving an animal shelter with her newly adopted puppy. At PATA, we are so grateful that she’s helping to spread the message of adopting from shelters rather than buying animals from pet stores or breeders and we would love to send her (and her new furry baby) a care package as a small token of our appreciation.

Companion animal overpopulation kills millions of innocent dogs and cat every year and encouraging people to adopt rather than buy was one of PATA’s founding principles. Someone as influential and charismatic as Ms. Rousseau could certainly make a positive difference in so many lives.

Could you please direct me as to where to send our thank you gifts?

All the best,

Ali Valentine
Senior VIP Liaison
PATA

The VegNews Scandal

It's been a tough time to be an herbivore. If it's not celebrities renouncing their veganism due to predictably vague, pregnancy-induced ailments (such not having baked goods immediately available at their beck and call and, please, like she doesn't) and all the typical irritations we face while swimming against the omnivorous current, we now have this Big, Ugly Scandal that has ripped a flimsy bandage off a significant wound that had obviously been festering for some time. Of course I am referring to the fleshy, cheesy stock photos passed off as vegan recipe examples in our once-pristine publication, VegNews. For the sake of cutting to the chase, I will refer people to the original QuarryGirl exposé.

Italicized here is my Facebook note regarding the scandal, touched up a little because I can never leave anything alone.

As many of you know, I write on a freelance basis for VegNews. I have known Joe Connelly and Colleen Holland since they first published VegNews as a newspaper. Yes, it started out as a smudgy little newspaper. I will state from the beginning that I am not neutral: I like Joe and Colleen, I support their mission, and I have had nothing but great experiences writing for them. Not everyone loves the celebrity focus of the magazine, not everyone loves the editorial direction, but how can one publication be all things to all people?


I was shocked when I read that their photos came from stock photography of meat and animal products. I was disappointed. But I got over it. I wholeheartedly support honest debate and criticism. Given the circumstances of my background, I am not much for keeping up the appearance of unity at the expense of honesty. I have been an outspoken critic of PeTA's misogynist, mean-spirited tactics and I will continue to speak out. I am not encouraging people to just shut up and smile and I never would. It goes against my personal ethic and how I try to live my life. I strive for honesty.


It's the level of vitriol, the degree of viciousness, the total breakdown of civility and just plain goodwill I have observed in the aftermath of QuarryGirl's exposé that has been shocking to me. Given the rancor, one would think VegNews staff were shooting eagles, poisoning cows, kicking puppies and force-feeding Big Macs to bunnies while cackling with evil delight. Oh! And they're raking in the big bucks while deluding us (in between little kick-the-puppy breaks). People are up in arms, they're canceling subscriptions, they're furious.


How I see it is really quite simple. They screwed up. They need to take ownership of that. They need to apologize and correct their mistakes. We need to move on.


How does canceling subscriptions to a vegan publication when major, long established magazines are folding left and right make any sense? So we can get a subscription to the Vegetarian Journal and endlessly complain about the the bad photography, the boring articles? (I love the Vegetarian Journal, but you know that people would be complaining about it.) Or should we buy Vegetarian Times so we can be offended by the non-vegan recipes and insipidness? What good would causing financial harm to a vegan magazine do in the world, the world we claim we want to consume fewer animal products?


So VegNews doesn't work for you. It's not alternative enough, it's too rah-rah-rah, the recipes are junky, it's not substantive enough. Okay, here is a solution: create your own magazine. You don't like to write? Do what you do really well. Have it become a success. Have it become solvent. Have it look beautiful. Have it be professional. Have it always reflect your highest goals. Have it be something your next door neighbor or your sixteen-year-old cousin would both love. Or create an amazingly unique and artistic expression of your deepest convictions that no one understands except for a few people but they think it's incredible.


Go out and do that.


Stick your neck out and create something to help make the world a better place. Be prepared for people to really dislike what you're doing, though, the very people you consider your community and for them to tell you about it. As you become more successful, be prepared for people to imply that you're greedy, you're inauthentic, you're not edgy enough, you've lost your heart, you're a hack. I dare you to create knowing that this will happen. I dare myself. I would love to see someone else create a publication with the distribution and readership they have and run it with an unapologetically vegan focus for eleven years. I am not even being sarcastic: the more publications we have to reflect the diversity of our community, the better. It is easy to point fingers, vilify and condemn: it is a hell of a lot harder to take the initiative and create something.


VegNews screwed up. They shouldn't have done what they did and they deserve to be called on it. They need to sincerely apologize and fix it. This slash-and-burn, take-no-prisoners, ad hominem attacking is totally repellent, though. It is also simplistic, unkind and unfair. Having a publication owned by hard-working vegans be dragged through the mud by the very community they helped to create makes me heartsick.


People make mistakes. People screw up. Could we stop the mob mentality and call off the pile-on? Could we encourage civil discourse instead? Could we work toward creative solutions?


Big picture, people. Big picture.

In the days between QuarryGirl's Big Reveal and as I am writing this right now, I have seen all manner of opinions on the VegNews scandal. I know that people are canceling subscriptions and calling companies that advertise in the magazine and asking them to stop, and I have also seen people come to their defense. I have seen a firestorm of rage that seems way out of proportion and I have seen a condescending attitude toward those who express genuine feelings of betrayal. As in keeping with both vegan culture and online communication, sharp lines have been drawn: you're either an ivory tower extremist or you are a wussy apologist. Nobody wants to be either - we want to be seen for who we are, with all of our honest self-expression and complexities - and it is an infuriating thing when we are reassigned a cardboard version of ourselves and told, "This is you." This is the nature, though, of the world of anonymous instant communication we live in: as soon as a thought enters your mind, you can type it out and hit the return key. No need for a cooling off period if what you really want is to blame and rage. Instant gratification.

It's no secret that we live in a world that is very inclined toward spewing inflammatory, take-no-prisoners accusations against one another. From sputtering politicians to cable news talking heads, screamed invective is meant to inflict damage as though that were the most natural thing for us, as though engaging in civil (but still passionate) discourse were a sign of our obvious weakness. We live in an era of broad stroke character assassinations with a "you're either with me or against me" mentality. It seems as if we have lost our ability to voice dissent without resorting to divisions and viciousness. This ability to speak, listen and debate without acting on the urge to cut one another apart is quickly becoming something like a vestigial limb: we once had it but it became useless to us and disappeared over time.

I understand and totally accept that people are upset about the situation. I am, too. Why the need to inflict more harm, though, instead of focusing on correcting the problems? Is this a transference thing? Have vegans been so hurt by society at large that we are acting out the emotional drama of abuse among ourselves, a form of horizontal aggression? What is behind the mob mentality, the scent of blood bringing out the single-minded shark in so many otherwise sensitive people? Why are we so damn angry with one another and what is it about the VegNews scandal that opened this Pandora's box of deep-seated hostility?

I can understand people feeling angry and betrayed by the publication, an oasis in a culture with values so removed from our own. Their use of stock photos made readers feel betrayed, and, frankly even more vulnerable to being treated like the punch line to every smug joke by society at large. People have worked hard to raise the profile of vegan cuisine and this could easily be used by those who already dismiss us as an admission that our food is, well, beige and icky. Of course we know it's not: the most vivid, diverse palette of colors, the most interesting shapes and textures are found in plant foods. The fear, though, is that those who have already written us off have now been given even ample ammunition by our own top publication. We are so exhausted from being mocked and derided, so on edge from feeling battered, so raw from having this way of living - something we adopted because of heartfelt convictions - treated like nothing more than a joke. We don't need this. We also don't like to be deceived by the businesses we support, that should go without saying. We don't want to look at what we think are seitan ribs only to be told, "Oops. Yeah, actually the bones have been airbrushed out." When we have worked as hard as we have to reach out to others with our food - the best outreach tool we often have - we don't need the implication that our food is lesser-than coming from our leading publication. This has almost certainly set us back, giving us more obvious and hidden barriers as we do our advocacy work.

I get that.

A second part of the hostility toward VegNews that the QuarryGirl exposé unleashed seems to be a rising tide of resentment against their editorial direction. Too many puff pieces, too much of a celebrity focus, too cheerleader-y! To those complaints, I am less sympathetic. VegNews has pulled off something really quite amazing if you think about it: they are a niche magazine that represents one percent of the population and they not only share shelf space in bookstores and grocery stores with Vogue, Bon Appetit and Rolling Stone, the magazine looks like it is perfectly at home there. This is an amazing accomplishment. I think sometimes we get an inflated sense of how many vegans there are because we have such a rich and dynamic (and outspoken) culture, but we are tiny. VegNews would never have a broad appeal for itself and our strange little subculture without more of a mainstream focus. Don't we want people to meet us half way? Don't we want to have a well-produced magazine that looks beautiful? VegNews has managed to make veganism accessible, attractive and SANE to those who might have thought otherwise. If we want veganism to remain an insular, exclusive club, that is one thing. If we want veganism to appeal to a broad base of people so they might consider the lifestyle to be within reach, that is something entirely different. That is what I want. I think that is what VegNews wants. I understand that direction is not appealing to everyone but what I don't understand is the intolerance, the unwillingness to see the vital role VegNews has played in expanding the vegan market and community, and this urge to throw the baby out with the bath water.

VegNews cannot be all things to all people: no one and no publication can be. We need our vegan-fueled literary magazines, our artisan "foodie" magazines, our culture magazines, our crafting magazines, and, yes, our cheerleader magazines. They are part of the landscape that we need as we build in-roads. VegNews is successful at what they set out to do, which is to make veganism appealing and demystified. It seems to me that our community is quite adept at shooting ourselves and one another in the feet. Why would are we so hell-bent on annihilation from within?  Being dismayed about VegNews and their food photography standards is one thing and it needs to be corrected. The hatefulness, the deep-seated anger directed at VegNews for being what they have always been and have never pretended not to be, though, is something else. I think we need to be honest with ourselves as to whether we want veganism to move beyond a little exclusive club or we want it to be something that expands its reach. I have no doubt what I want.

We have a creative and talented population of self-starters within the vegan movement. If you don’t like what you see, if you haven’t seen anything that reflects your personal approach or appeals to your aesthetic, then go out and create what you want to see. Legitimate criticism and holding one another accountable is productive, valuable and important. Finger-pointing and self-righteous rage are not. Honestly, this is not about unity: I don't care what the neighbors might think. It's about our need to take responsibility for our role in creating the world we want to see and stop blaming others if they are not who we want them to be.

Vegan Bake Sale Bliss

On Sunday, we had our vegan bake sale to raise money for relief efforts in Japan. We raised $1,526 in five concentrated hours of pushing pretty cupcakes and frosted cookies, muffins and assorted bars. It should come as no surprise that they pretty much sold themselves. When people entered our paradisiacal pop-up bakeshop, many needed a moment to take it all in, eyes jumping from trays and platters to baskets and cupcake trees piled high with colorful, cheerful treats. Many people looked as if they’d just entered a portal to a sort of magical carb-y wonderland. Understandably, a dazed, dreamy “Wow,” was all most could muster given everything.

There’s always something about the afterglow of a vegan bake sale that sustains me: I sometimes wonder how long I could live off the happy vibes of a vigorous bake sale. A couple of days, maybe even a week? The idea of people coming together, throwing their limited time and sincere efforts behind a grassroots, self-funded project to help others just feels so right and outright corrective when we’ve been so beaten down and destroyed about the state of the world. Of course vegan bake sales alone will not cure the world’s injustices or make suffering disappear. No one would claim that. It is something, though, and it’s more significant than it may seem on the surface. The all-or-nothing, binary brain tells us that what we do is a drop in the bucket and I wonder sometimes if we naturally default to this mentality because we’re already so disempowered by the state of things. The fact is that while we may not be superheroes or possess magic wands, we can still pick up our bowls, preheat our ovens, pour and whisk and roll for an hour or two and contribute toward a common goal: raising more money in the collective than we would be able to give as individuals. We can do this.

On a deeper level, efforts like a vegan bake sale are emboldening because they put us in the driver’s seat for creating something powerfully positive and humanitarian out of virtually nothing. It’s that great combination of self-reliance and a community coming together, of creativity, kinship, generosity and altruism all whirled up together that make the vegan bake sale spirit so infectious and addictive.

Mostly what I bask in, though, is just the uncomplicated affection I have for my community. This is the stuff that sustains me. On our way to the bake sale, the trunk packed (cookies, muffins, cupcakes, a cash box, bags, tongs, spatulas, and my big purse stuffed with lipstick, to-do lists, ingredient lists and my water bottle), I was so hyper to just be there already I had to concentrate on my deep breathing. Almost every weekday, I spend most of my time alone, really settling into a cushion of silence so I can concentrate on my writing projects. When the phone rings, it always gives me an unpleasant little jolt. When I have to actually answer it, I always roll my eyes in defiance first. During the monthly natural disaster test alarm with the eerie sirens, I tap my foot the whole minute, waiting for the disruption to end. I gulp down silence like water most days.

What this means is that over time, I can work myself up to a state of conversation near-deprivation. Yes, of course I have my family, but how many times can they listen to me rave about my latest obsessions and rant about my litany of complaints before I feel the need to work out my material before a fresh audience? Being a writer is a solitary, sometimes hermit-like life that I adore, but it does mean that the once or twice a month when I’m around my friends, they are in danger of having an avalanche of words and ideas bury them as well as witness a stream-of-consciousness-that-is-more-like-an-ocean pouring out of me. Being temperamentally right in the middle between introvert and extrovert, this occasional deluge is how I find a balance between my halves. This need to share is even more pronounced when I’m with my vegan friends.

For the most part, we get one another. There’s often a natural relaxing of our defenses when vegans are together: you hear this expressed whenever groups of us come together, with a sigh of relief, “I can just be myself.” We can talk about the new shoes we found, the shelter we volunteer at, vent about the upcoming meal out with the extended family (to be served “family style,” words that strike lightning bolts of fear and dread in the heart of any herbivore), the co-workers who make fun of us with the same predictable, stupid jokes every time. At the bake sale, for five hours we re-stocked the overflow of treats and talked about whatever flew into our heads: peanut and wheat allergies (they suck!), bullies (they also suck), whether tofu is kosher for a vegan Passover Seder (not if you’re Ashkenazi but it is if you’re Sephardic, so get with it), if gluten-free, vegan matzo balls were possible (perhaps, but we wouldn’t want to try them), raising vegan children (fabulous!). Being a minority of a minority in this culture of convenience and preference trumping ethics, those of us who have tuned into this lifestyle are treated like prissy pariahs who have crashed the bacchanal. It is so nice to be in an environment where we don’t need to explain ourselves, where our beliefs are not only appreciated and understood but shared. Everyone needs a place they are accepted. Among vegans, for the most part, I feel that I can let down my guard: I am among my people.

The thing that really gives me chills, though, is to remind myself that there are these dynamic, electric vegan communities virtually everywhere, in small towns and cities and everywhere you can imagine. I imagine them like satellites across the globe. We had just one little bake sale among many. Across the world, at vegan bake sales, trips to animal sanctuaries and fundraisers for advocacy non-profits, you will find cookbook authors, teachers, activists, artists, master gardeners, scientists, animal rehabilitators, lawyers, year-round bicyclists and social workers: people who are changing the world in large and small ways every day. We’re plugged into this amazing power source of renewable energy: the desire to bring more good into the world. I may be prejudiced, but I think that the sharing of this common denominator is what brings out the best of the best.

So, yes, on the surface it was just a bake sale. Like almost everything worthwhile, though, if you scratch the surface, you’ll find a whole lot more there.