Arzone (animal Rights Zone) Podcasts

Episode 9 features Kate Stewart Ph. D., a sociologist at Nottingham Trent University. Kate is the author, with Matthew Cole, of the book Our Children and Other Animals (2014) which explores the sociological importance of other animals in the lives of human children - and vice versa. Her work reveals “the interconnectedness of studies in childhood, culture, and human-animal relations.” As part

This Special Episode of the ARZone Podcast features Ari Nessel, the founder and president of The Pollination Project, speaking about TPP’s 2016 Lisa Shapiro Awards. Named in memorial of a selfless advocate, the Lisa Shapiro Awards recognise the unsung heroes of our movement who are working quietly behind the scenes creating a more just world for other animals. Nominated by their peers and

Episode 7 features Laura Schleifer - a writer, theater artist, and educator whose work has spanned the globe from the Middle East to Nicaragua to China and beyond. Laura is a pro-intersectional vegan, and active in the Palestine Liberation Movement. She created the word “artivist” to describe her vocation as an artist-activist. As a Jewish American she traveled to the West Bank in Palestine,

Episode 6 features Brenda Sanders is a food justice activist in Baltimore City who has dedicated her life to fighting for vulnerable populations. As a community organizer, Brenda has coordinated events like The Vegan Living Program - an annual 6-week vegan education program, Eating for Life - a plant-based cooking workshop, Vegan SoulFest - a festival that celebrates culture and the vegan

Episode 5 features Nzinga Young, a freelance writer who focuses on vegan issues. A born-and-raised vegetarian who is now living vegan, she’s turned her predominantly plant-based upbringing into a passionate vegan lifestyle. Nzinga is a student of plant-based nutrition with eCornell, a vegan content contributor for Huffington Post, and an avid traveler for local and international vegan events.

Episode 4 features Lauren Ornelas, who has been active in the animal rights movement for more than 20 years. She is the founder and director of Food Empowerment Project, a vegan food justice nonprofit which seeks to create a more just world by helping consumers recognize the power of their food choices. Food Empowerment Project works in solidarity with farm workers, advocates for chocolate not

Episode 3 features Aph Ko an intersectional vegan feminist, anti-racist activist and writer. Aph founded the website www.blackvegansrock.com after producing the first list of 100 influential Black vegans, and is also the founder of http://aphro-ism.com, a website that provides critical analysis through a black vegan feminist framework. Aph focuses on how intersectionality is a useful tool for

Episode 2 features Sebastian, a staff writer at Vegan Publishers, part-time lecturer on speciesism at Columbia University, and volunteer coordinator for VINE Sanctuary.  Focused in his work mostly on examining the complex relationships between speciesism, racism, and queer oppression, Sebastian speaks with ARZone about how Intersectionality can be used as a lens through which we can understand

Episode 88 features Casey Taft. Casey Taft is Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and focuses his research on the prevention of interpersonal violence. He has consulted with the United Nations and the domestic violence programs that he has developed are being utilized in the United States Department of Defense as well as the Veteran’s Health Administration. He’s also

Episode 87 features Nick Cooney. Nick Cooney is Director of Education at Mercy For Animals, a national nonprofit animal protection organization and he’s founder of The Humane League. His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets, and he’s lectured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. He is the author of three books: Change Of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About

Episode 86 features advocate and author Saryta Rodriguez. Saryta Rodriguez is graduate of Columbia University (New York, USA) who is committed to social justice activism, with a focus on issues of human hunger and violence against other animals. Saryta has written her first book, "Until Every Animal is Free", recently published by Vegan Publishers (2015). She joined us to speak about that book,

Episode 78 features professor of political theory, Robert Garner. Rob Garner is professor of political theory at the University of Leicester in the UK who has, for more than two decades, specialised in animal rights. In this interview, Prof. Garner speaks with ARZone about his recently published book A Theory of Justice for Animals. He explains why Animal Welfare fails to protect the interests

Episode 85 features advocate, educator, and author Kim Socha Kim Socha, who holds a PhD in English Literature and Criticism, is an English professor working in the US. A grassroots animal liberation advocate, Kim is also active in drug policy reform, and transformative justice. Kim is the author or editor of 4 books relating to animal rights and veganism including her most recent from 2014,

Episode 81 features long time advocate and author Will Tuttle Ph. D. In early 2014 Dr. Will Tuttle, who holds a masters in humanities and a Ph.D in education, completed an international speaking tour, traveling to Taiwan, throughout Australia, and to New Zealand. In this podcast, Dr. Tuttle speaks with ARZone about his work and to tell us about his experience speaking to sold out audiences

Episode 83 features Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States. Since 2005 Paul Shapiro has been the Vice President for Farm Animal Protection for the Humane Society of the United States. Prior to joining the HSUS, Paul was, for 10 years, the founder and campaigns director of Compassion Over Killing, a group he initially began while still in high school. Paul joins us today to

Episode 82 features activist Matt Ball. Matt Ball is Senior Advisor for VegFund, an organization that funds the outreach of advocates for other animals around the world. In 1993, Matt co-founded Vegan Outreach; where he served as the group’s Executive Director for more than 20 years. Matt speaks with us about his new job, his latest book, and his current thoughts about the state of the animal

Episode 80 features the Executive Director of Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE), Jon Bockman. In this interview, we discuss the work that ACE does in trying to utilise the best survey and research methods to evaluate the effectiveness of various groups and organizations working within the animal advocacy movement. Audio Podcast, approx 57 minutes. According to their website (

Episode 79 features long time advocate Nick Cooney. Nick Cooney, the Founder and Chairman of the Board of The Humane League, is also the Director of Education for Mercy For Animals. Nick is the author of two books, Change Of Heart: What Psychology Can Teach Us About Spreading Social Change (2011) and Veganomics: The Surprising Science on What Motivates Vegetarians, from the Breakfast Table to

Episode 76 features the founder and president of The Pollination Project, Ari Nessel. The Pollination Project is an organisation that gives seed grants and loans to individual change-makers throughout the world, focusing on social justice, environmental sustainability, and community health & wellness. (ARZone has been the very grateful recipient of one of these grants.) Ari Nessel oversees a

Episode 75 features Professor of Law and author Sherry Colb. Sherry Colb is professor of Law at Cornell University and is the author of two books, When Sex Counts: Making Babies and Making Law (2007) about the modern challenges of sexual equality, and Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger? and Other Questions People Ask Vegans (2013).  Sherry visits ARZone to talk about that book, in which she