A Bright Clean Mind Corrections and Clarifications (Please Comment Below!)
My new book on veganism and creativity will be out in the world very shortly, and as I line up promotional whatnots I've been thinking a lot about something author Maya Gottfried said in our conversation that appears on pages 226-229:
Even as vegans we’re not perfect—a book we write that’s totally vegan may not be reflective of other values we develop in the future, and it’s always going to be that way. We just have to acknowledge that things have changed and move on from there.
I have made mistakes in this book—I have no doubt of it!—but at a certain point a writer has to know when to let go. I'm publishing this post to acknowledge the issues I've already spotted (and will add to this as needed), and also to create a space for readers to articulate any questions or concerns they may have. If you have any constructive feedback to offer, I prefer that you offer it here, publicly, so that other readers can benefit from your perspective and reply with any reactions you may inspire. (Please note that I will not approve or respond to any anti-vegan defensiveness, no matter how subtly you manage to articulate your hostility. Arguing with you is not a productive use of my time.) Thank you in advance for your input!
Future "transparency reports" will serve a different function: reporting the amounts I've been able to donate to animal rights and vegan social/food justice organizations (20% total from each royalty check, a different charity or charities each time).
[Update, Fall 2022: unfortunately I still don't have any earnings to report, but I remain optimistic that this book will eventually find a broader audience!]
If you've arrived at this page because I have referenced your work in A Bright Clean Mind—whether you are vegan or "future-vegan"—I would be glad to send you a copy. Email me with your address.
Now on to the corrections and clarifications:
A Note on the Illustrations
I am not happy with the print quality—it does not do right by the artists—but there is nothing I can do about this beyond requiring a QC safeguard in all future publishing contracts for illustrated books.
Recalibrating Your Language
I ought to have included the singular “they” in this callout. My apologies for the cisgender brain blip!
FOMO or Faux Moo?
After I turned in the manuscript I found out that according to the Food Empowerment Project, FoMu does not use Fair-Trade chocolate. (If you click here you’ll see them listed under “Cannot recommend but at least responded”). I decided not to cut the chapter because I believe the message outweighs my embarrassing hypocrisy. I emailed the owners to ask for an explanation, but they never replied.
To Learn Something is to Lose Something
I am disgusted by J.K. Rowling's transphobia and will be rewriting this chapter in the event of a revised edition.
Jane O'Hara
When you check out Jane O'Hara's Sacrifice on page 109 (click here to see it properly), do note that her Instagram handle is now @janeoharaprojects.
Where's Wilbur?
It didn't make sense to mention this within the chapter (it would fall under "TMI" even as a postscript), but I would like to clarify that after I wrote it Chrissy and I decided we'd both be happier not being friends, and as a result I am no longer volunteering at either Maple Farm Sanctuary or Unity Sanctuary. To the best of my recollection I volunteered four or five times total, which isn't much, I know, but I hope to volunteer again at these or other farm animal sanctuaries when I eventually have my own car (getting there by public transportation just isn’t realistic, alas).
"Vegan for the Future"
I'm embarrassed to have drawn upon Shaw's exploration of Nietzsche's Übermensch without acknowledging the eugenics connection. This failure is inexcusable, and of all the items on this list it's the revision I'm most anxious to make.
Also, my friend Steve tells me "vegan for the future" does not make sense given the animal-centered definition of veganism, but I don't see why I can't be "vegan for the future" as long as I am also for animal rights. (Otherwise, yes, one would be eating a plant-based diet as "an environmentalist for the future.")
The Back Cover
Especially-careful readers will note that sixteen vegan artists have been interviewed in this book, not fifteen. We caught the error too late not to delay printing, but it will be corrected in the event of a reprint.
