Action Speaks (Louder than Words)

I got to visit my favorite city today. (Yes, that's Providence where I spent four glorious years while the city was under constant construction under the watchful eye of Mayor Buddy Cianci). Action Speaks is a four-part series celebrating under-celebrated days in history. Today, we're going to talk about the Farmer’s March on Washington in 1979 and reflect on its meaning for farmers and eaters today. Click here to listen to our conversation.

PS Happy Halloween--reminds me of one of my favorite Halloweens here in Providence: I dressed up like the mayor (I wore a suit and a "I heart Cops" button") and a friend dressed as his wife (at the time) Nancy Ann. (Yes, that would be Nancy Ann Cianci).

NYC: Don't miss Milk-N-Honey

I absolutely loved this show, but don't take my word for it.

Don't miss it.

MILK-N-HONEY
a multimedia play about the politics and pleasures of eating, starring Dumpster divers, food chemists, the color yellow, farm workers, a very Happy Burger, a very unhappy cow, Doritos, the flavor of light, and corn (of course).

After each performance, the theater becomes an After Show Café, with free cupcakes and fair-trade certified coffee from the Lower Eastside Girls Club, where you can engage with the actors, and special guests for conversation.

SPECIAL SHOWS w/ ANNA LAPPÉ:
Sunday November 11th
3:00pm to 5:30pm
An After-Show Café with Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), hosted by Anna Lappé (Grub)

Wednesday November 14th
7:30pm to 10:00pm
An After-Show Café with Marion Nestle (Food Politics, What to Eat), hosted by Anna Lappé (Grub)

Milk-N-Honey runs through through November 18th: Order Tickets Now!

Check here for showtimes, or join me for one of these very special shows. Hope to see you there!

Compassion in Action and The Missing Peace Project

the missing peace project
compassion in action
July 2007

(I'm finally getting around to posting about this event from the summer... better late than never! --al).

This summer, I was deeply honored to be one of the two awardees, along with Nicholas Kristof from The New York Times, of this year's Missing Peace Project Compassion in Action Awards.

Once I got past the imposter syndrome (as in, I don't deserve this!), I was able to enjoy the evening. The awards ceremony was held in a beautiful gallery space on Manhattan's western edge. The several hundred guests were surrounded by art, including sculpture and installation as well as video and painting, inspired by the Dalai Lama. (For those of you in San Francisco, you can see the exhibit at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. I highly recommend it!).

Bob Thurman, cofounder and current president of Tibet House U.S., was the emcee and already humbled to accept the award, I was even more humbled to receive it from him.

The family: Josephine Lappe, Anthony Lappe, Frankie Lappe, and Anna Lappe

Mom and me enraptured by Robert Thurman's remarks.

Domino & Us

Wondering what to serve up on t-day? See Bryant's take in our piece in Domino here.

here's what barbara kingsolver thinks of my mom's new book...

"Getting a Grip is not an ordinary book: it's more like a new pair of glasses, allowing you to see everything around you with greater clarity. Suddenly the world is more comprehensible, more manageable, even more beautiful. You won't want to take them off." --Barbara Kingsolver

Pretty cool!

Getting a Grip on Money in Politics

My mom has hit the road promoting her new--and self-published--book Getting a Grip. See if she's dropping by your city or town here. Whether you can see her in person, or not, check out the new video she and my brother produced about getting money out of politics. In this short video, you'll learn about successful clean elections legislation popping up in several states and the national "Just 6 Dollars" campaign. Watch and be inspired.

World Food Day and the Right to Food

food sovereignty banner from nyeleni, mali

My mom and I have a piece on food as a human right on the Huffington Post today. Check it out here.

World Food Day Oct 16: Focus on the Right to Food

If you're in NYC... see you here:

From the Greater New York Dietetic Association:

The choice of The Right to Food as the theme for 2007 World Food Day demonstrates increasing recognition by the international community of the important role of human rights in eradicating hunger and poverty, and hastening and deepening the sustainable development process.

The links between climate change, hunger and poverty will be the focus of the 2007 teleconference. Three international leaders -- Suzanne Hunt, independent consultant, currently dividing her time among the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Global Bioenergy Partnership, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, Research Scientist and Leader of the Climate Impacts Group at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Dr. Stephen H. Schneider, Stanford University professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and founder and editor of the Interdisciplinary journal, Climate Change, -- will discuss the many crosscutting issues of global climate change and the potentially disastrous consequences, especially for millions of poor and chronically undernourished people. The overwhelming majority of the world's climate scientists are convinced that the looming crisis is caused primarily by "humankind's activities" and will require immediate and farsighted action by all nations, rich and poor. In addition to the guest panelists there will be a live uplink from the World Food Prize ceremonies and cameo comments from other experts.

Two documentary films – The Millennium Development Goals and The Ecological Footprint – will highlight the goals agreed to by rich and poor country leaders in 2000 and will consider an ingenious way for determining whether we are living within our ecological budget or consuming nature's resources faster than the planet can renew them.

When: Tuesday October 16^th, 2007, 11:45 AM – 3:00 PM

12 Noon – 1:00 PM Teleconference panel discussion

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Individual site discussion of local hunger issues and activities; prepare question for panel (bring your own lunch)

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM "Town meeting" question & answer period between panelists and individual sites

Where: Cornell University Cooperative Extension, 16 E 34^th Street , 8^th floor
bring photo ID for building security

Please R.S.V.P. to Maggie Meehan, GNYHEN Co-chair at: meehan.maggie@ gmail.com, be sure to put "World Food Day Teleconference" in the subject heading

Launched from New York

We had a fantastic time tonight toasting my mom's new book with more than seventy guests at our friend, Josh Mailman's, home in New York City. Read all about it on her blog here.

Anthony Lappe, Clarice Lappe, Josh Mailman, and Frances Moore Lappe

Martha Graham on Divine Dissatisfaction

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening, that is translated through you into action – and because there is only one of you, in all time, this expression is unique...You have to keep open and aware, directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open... There is no satisfaction, ever, at any time. There is only a queer, divine, dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching, and makes us more alive than others.

NYC: Screening Liberally in TriBeCa

I'm curating a series of films with my friend Wendy Cohen at THE TANK in TriBeCa. Visit www.screeningliberally.org to sign up for our e-mail newsletter to catch coming attractions or e-mail me to suggest a film to show. See you at the movies!

Pictures from China

visiting a farmers market in Fuyang

Please check out my pictures from our trip to China here at my FLICKR account: flickr.com/annalappe. I learned so much and feel a renewed understanding of the transformational power of Heifer International.