Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Veggie Hero: Joseph Connelly

You might not know Joseph Connelly's name but I bet you know his work. Joseph is the publisher and founding editor of VegNews Magazine, the hottest vegetarian publication on the news stand. VegNews, located in San Francisco, has been in the limelight alot recently. It was named one of The Chicago Tribune's 2006 "50 Best Magazines" and the 2006 winner of the Maggie Award for "Most Improved Publication." With dedicated vegan Joseph Connelly at the helm, VegNews keeps getting better and better. If you haven't checked out this sleek, sophisticated magazine, run to your bookstore and buy one now -- and thank Joseph for prooving that an "alternative" publication can be truly outstanding.

Vegetarian or vegan?
Vegan

How long have you been veg*n?
Vegan 15 years (since October 1991)

What inspired you to go veg?
Many things inspired me. Losing a grandfather to colon cancer. Learning about the many negative environmental effects of meat production. And being adopted by a cat (whom I named Dog) in 1984. She pushed me over the edge...

What's your best story of trying to find veg food?
Driving cross-country in 2001 and finding veg foods everywhere: soymilk in West Virginia; tofu in Wyoming; and a sign that said "vegan pizza" in Santa Cruz, California.

How do you handle family holiday dinners?
I try to celebrate with my veg "family" as much as possible. When I'm with my kin I bring vegan dishes and skip the corpse.

What's your favorite veg food?
Savory: My partner Colleen's rice bowls. The perfect meal.
Sweet: Millennium Restaurant's Chocolate Almond Midnight

Do you have a favorite veg book?
It would be difficult to top John Robbins' classic "Diet for a New America." I read it just as I was becoming veg; it's like your first girlfriend you can never forget.

Tofu or tempeh?
Seitan

What did you have for breakfast today?
Three bananas and two cups of tea

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Saw your blog listed on Laura Jesser's blogroll so I thought I'd stop by. I love VegNews, especially the wedding issues. It's always fun to see what kinds of vegan food people serve at weddings (and parties, etc).

4rx said...

I enjoyed following the whole entry, I always thought one of the main things to count when you write a blog is learning how to complement the ideas with images, that's exploiting at the maximum the possibilities of a ciber-space! Good work on this entry!