Films, Books, Inspirations

Films

Jasmine Leyva

The Invisible Vegan

Screening of The Invisible Vegan by filmmaker Jasmine Leyva on Wednesday, 11/18/20 at 7:00-9:00pm EST. The Invisible Vegan is an independent documentary that explores the intersections of race, food empowerment, history, African-American and vegan culture, and plant based living, through the personal story of the filmmakers journey to a vegan diet. Advance sign-up required. Click here for information.

The film screening is followed a couple days later with aLive Zoom Interview & Roundtable event with The Invisible Vegan director Jasmine Leyva on Friday, 11/20/20 at 7:00-9:00pm with Vegan Nation’s Marlene Narrow and documentarian Alfee West. This event is co-partnered with Unity of Central Mass. Advance sign up required. Click here for information.

Argo Films

Founded by multiple Emmy Award winning filmmaker Allison Argo, Argo Films is dedicated to producing films that inspire understanding and compassion for all living beings and that help repair the disconnect in humans regarding other animals. Some of Argo’s award winning films include The Last Pig, The Urban Elephant, Parrot Confidential, Frogs: The Thin Green Line, Extraordinary Dogs, The Urban Gorilla, Wisdom of the Wild, Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History, Return to Freedom, The Secret Life of Cats, Crash: A Tale of Two Species, Keepers of the Wild, The Sagebrush Sea and others.

Argo’s most recent work The Last Pig was screened at Compassion Arts Festival 2018 and is headed to PBS this spring 2021. This important and deeply moving film is a compelling true story and lyrical meditation that journeys into the life of a pig farmer as he grapples with death, searches for compassion, and finds the courage to change. The film project also offers education programs in connection with the documentary screenings and is available online. Click here to learn more.

Books & Inspirations

We celebrate books, non-profit organizations and projects that provide a window through which we are given an opportunity to see from a new perspective; those that educate and encourage new solutions and collaboration in a variety of ways, for creating a more humane, equitable, and sustainable world.

It is not possible to choose a few individual works or list all that are available, so we are highlighting some examples of organizations, projects and creative entities that provide a platform for these works. Listed below are examples of those that have been an inspiration to Compassion Arts and some of our contributing presenters over the years. We also encourage exploring the work of independent projects where people are developing works on their own (such as Compassion Arts Festival 😄), as well as grassroots creative initiatives for compassionate living programs in local communities (such as Veg Fests etc).

Creating Peace through Books & Reading

A book sharing and readers circle, Creating Peace through Books & Reading is a Compassionate Arts program for people 18 and over for facilitating the exchange of ideas about compassion as an instrument for personal and cultural change, and for cultivating connection and community. This is a free program meeting once a month on zoom, to read and discuss books exploring our relationship with animals and nature, as well as sharing works of poetry at times and writings from new or unpublished works. At the end of each gathering, meetings close with participants offering a short reading selection of their choosing or a recipe from any plant-based cookbook, for the group to be able to explore on their own until the next meeting. Some titles on our reading circle list include upcoming works in 2021 such as Once Wild by Dawn Casteel Lorick; new releases such as Catching Dawn by Melissa Armstrong and Oblivious by Sande Nosonowitz; recent works like I Am Not Food children’s book by Abioseh Cole; books from over the years that inspire compassionate living such as Most Good, Least Harm by Zoe Weil and Do Unto Others by Tracey Stewart; as well as books for creative plant-based artistry in everyday living from culinary authors such as Bryant Terry, Blossom, and others. For information on this reading circle program contact [email protected].

Lantern Publishing & Media

LANTERN PUBLISHING & MEDIA (LPM) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that publishes books for all wanting to live with greater depth and commitment to the preservation of the natural world. Committed to equity, diversity, nonviolence, and an expanded community of subjects, Lantern publishes books, develops content, and promotes ideas supportive of veganism, animal rights, humane education, recovery, therapy, and spirituality. Its mission is to inform and inspire new generation of global citizens in creating a healthy, compassionate, and resilient world for animals and humans alike.

Some of Lantern’s author’s include Carol J. Adams, Aimee Breeze Harper, Will Tuttle, Wangari Maathai, Lori Gruen, Aph Ko, Martin Rowe, Judy Carman, Karen Davis and others. New and forthcoming books include Catching Dawn by Melissa Armstrong, Hidden by Jo-Anne McArthur and Keith Wilson, and Brotha Vegan by Omowale Adawale, to name a few.

Lantern is dedicated to printing in the United States on recycled paper and saving resources in their day-to-day operations. Their titles are also available as ebooks and audiobooks. Click here to learn more.

Other Resources & Platforms That Inspire Us

Animal Culture Magazine

Created by artists Patricia Denys, Mary Holmes, and Karlie Kawa, Animal Culture Magazine is a bi-monthly online magazine that aspires to educate, motivate, and celebrate animals by featuring interviews with artists, writers, and animal advocates, along with book reviews, humane education, visual culture information, and more.

A Prayer for Compassion

A documentary film about aligning spiritual beliefs with compassion for all life, A Prayer for Compassion also offers The Compassionate Living Challenge, an outline for individuals interested in exploring connections in our personal lives for a kinder sustainable world.

A Well Fed World

An international hunger relief and food security organization, A Well Fed World provides plant based programs and grants to help seed plant-based projects for empowering individuals and communities in creating a safe, nourished, and climate-friendly future.

Black Vegans Rock

Created by writer and independent digital media producer Aph Ko, Black Vegans Rock is a platform devoted to spotlighting Black vegans every day.

Culture and Animals Foundation

A non-profit organization in support of artists and scholars advancing the understanding of and commitment to animals, Culture & Animals Foundation provides annual grants to individuals using their intellect, creativity, and compassion to build a deeper understanding of human–animal relationships and a greater respect for animal rights. Founded in 1985 by renowned philosopher Tom Regan (1938–2017), with his wife, Nancy, Culture and Animals Foundation has given grants to some of the leading lights in animal advocacy. Their website provides a virtual library of past and present grant recipients, including some who are artists who have been presenters for Compassion Arts Festival.

Institute for Humane Education

A nonprofit organization founded by Zoe Weil, the Institute for Humane Education creates and shares programs for helping individuals learn how to become “solutionaries” through humane education, and helps educators teach about human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection to create a world where all can thrive.

iROAR Podcasting Network

iROAR is a platform for podcasts with an animal focus, dedicated to animal advocacy, scholarship, ideas, social justice, activism, environmentalism and making the world a better place for animals. Some of the podcasts that can be found on the website include Our Hen House, Main Street Vegan, and Freedom of Species.

Compassion Arts Festival Online 2020