Dear Flock,
Let it be known — I love Bonnie Goodman. You might remember her from her interview on our podcast last summer. She’s the owner of the Montana-based jewelry store and gallery, Mordamart (get it?), but she’s also #PRIVATE#responsible for a ton of stellar advocacy work — from giving talks on veganism in her community, to organizing vegan feed-ins for employees and volunteers at spay/neuter clinics (which she creatively refers to sometimes as “Spay-Ghetti and No Balls dinners”), to wearing her veganism on her sleeve for everyone to see. And not just her sleeve — her neck and ears, too. That’s because Bonnie, who has been one of the main artists and donors behind the Our Hen House Etsy Shop for years now, has created what she calls “Chatter Beads.” That is, beads with a message, and that message is compassion. We offer many of these Chatter Beads on our Etsy page. There, you can find earrings that say “Save Lives/Eat More Kale/Sexy Tofu/Kiss Me I’m Veg,” or ones that say “Vegan/Peace/Make Cupcakes/Justice for All.” (This is probably a good time to remind you that 100% of the proceeds to our Etsy page benefit Our Hen House.)
Bonnie’s Chatter Beads are an extension of her advocacy. She loves using them as a way to start conversations. They’re a creative take on message wear, and they’re super cute. And since she’s in the spring spirit — and also since she’s a warm, generous human bean with a big heart — Bonnie is donating a pair of Chatter Bead earrings to one of you lucky flock members! The Chatter Beads that are up for grabs say: “Love Kale/Neato Quinoa/Love Tofu/and (just in time for Mother’s Day) Eat Your Peas.”
Bonnie assured me that “No Star Wars figures were harmed in the taking of this picture.”
If you want to win these fabulous Chatter Bead earrings — and of course you do — then email contest [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org, indicating that you’re interested in being entered to win the earrings. Be sure to include your mailing address. You have one week to enter — which means you have until Thursday, May 16 at midnight EDT. You may only enter once, and the giveaway is only open to flock members (that’s you!).
Moreover, and not to brag, but I’ve noticed recently that the OHH flock is not only made up of kind, generous, warm people like y’all, but really friggin’ talented ones at that! I recently told you about Beth Lily Redwood, a phenomenal photographer who shared with us a series of photos she took of blue jays. And in getting to know some others of you over email and social networking, I know that your talents are bountiful as well. So, don’t be shy. Please do email me at jasmin [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org and tell me what you’re doing to change the world for animals! Have something you want to share with the rest of the flock? Let me know! You inspire me, truly.
A few other things I wanted to go over with you, some of which I’ll expand on in future flock letters:
- Please don’t forget to upload photos to the “This Animal On This Day” section on the right sidebar. We want photos of an animal in your life, or an animal you’ve met, or you’ve passed, or you saw flying around. Recently, I was sitting outside of a grocery store with our dog, Rose, waiting for Mariann (who was likely picking up an emergency supply of frozen cherries), when I saw a pigeon sitting on the fence nearby. You probably already know that I adore pigeons — both Mariann and I do — and so I snapped a photo of him, and it will be featured in the near future on “TAOTD,” so keep your eyes peeled. Oh yeah, and I also go the silhouette of the bird tattooed behind my left ear! Yes, seriously! (Note: You need not do that in order to be eligible to get your photo posted.)
- We’re considering allowing people to dedicate an episode of the podcast to a loved one (in exchange for a donation). If you were to sign up for this, you would be able to read your dedication on the air, or have me do it. Does this appeal to you? We’ll be throwing in some added bells and whistles, too.
- Also regarding the podcast, we’re currently actively seeking a sponsor! We have some fabulous leads and possibilities. But if you own a vegan-friendly business, or perhaps you’re buddy-buddy with one, and are interested in finding out more, email Liz at liz [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org. (And stay tuned for a really exciting announcement about Liz Dee!)
- I’d love your feedback on this, too: We’re thinking about creating audio recordings of select articles that we publish on OHH. At the bottom of an article, you’d be able to press “play” and hear me — or the writer, if it’s not me — read the article aloud. These audio recordings would also be published on a podcast, but not *the* OHH podcast that you’re familiar with. We’d start a separate podcast feed specifically for these, something like “Our Hen House Magazine Articles” — but hopefully I’d come up with a catchier name. Does that appeal to you? And do you think it’s okay for it to be a separate feed, or would you rather these super short recordings be part of the regular podcast?
- Oh right! I knew there was something else important I wanted to tell you. Mariann and I have two speaking engagements coming up, and I hope to see you at one or both! We’ll be speaking here in NYC at The Seed, on May 18. And then, the following week we’ll be speaking at Vida Vegan Con in Portland, OR — so come one, come all! Wanna book us at your next event? Email info [at] ourhenhouse [dot] org and we’ll chit chat about deets!
That’s about it for now. It’s Wednesday night as I type this, at approximately 10:45 p.m. It’s been a very long few days of working, but I don’t mean that as a complaint. I’ve actually been really loving every second of it, even though, admittedly, I could use a couple hours of mindless TV. Oh how I miss Battlestar Gallactica; my life feels a little empty without it. I’m enjoying watching Smash on Hulu though — is it okay to admit that?
Shoot. I really wanted to keep this post to under 1,000 words and now I’m just over. Damn. At least every single word I utter is extremely important. There’s that.
Good luck winning the Chatter Beads!
xo jasmin