News

Norm Phelps Transcripts Online

06/20/09 08:34 PM by Dave Rolsky

Norm Phelps has graciously provided us with the transcript of both of his talks, which we've posted on this website.

• In Praise of "The New Welfarism"
• One Struggle, One Fight . . . So Why Are Our Allies All Chowing Down on Steaks and Burgers?

TLOV 2009: A Big Success

06/16/09 01:19 PM by Gil Schwartz

We want to thank the over 200 attendees who came for this year's Their Lives, Our Voices conference over the weekend. A big thank you goes out to all the wonderful speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers.

Stay tuned for a more extensive re-cap of the weekend and video footage of selected presentations!

Registration and Other Info for this Weekend

06/11/09 02:25 PM by Gil Schwartz

You will not receive a paper ticket or some other confirmation of registration prior to the event. If you've already paid or will be volunteering/speaking, simply come to the registration desk to pick up your badge.

Also, you do not need to register for specific workshop sessions in advance.

Let your friends and fellow activists know that online and day-of registration are still open!

You can find an address for the TLOV venue, at the Humphrey Conference Center here.

There should be plenty for you to do during your visit to the Twin Cities outside of the conference. Like any major cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul have plenty of restaurants, museums, concerts, theater, cinemas, clubs, parks, etc. If you are trying to find something veg-friendly to do, we have provided you with a small list of places and events to help get you started. Check out our info here.

Tom Regan Cancellation

06/08/09 10:29 PM by Dave Rolsky

We have recently been informed that Tom Regan, one of our keynotes, will be unable to speak at TLOV due to pressing personal circumstances. Our condolences go out to Mr. Regan and we are of course saddened that he will not be able to join us, but this is one of those "stuff happens" situations. We are aiming to air a DVD recording of his presentation during a later workshop slot on Saturday.

Nathan Runkle has graciously agreed to step in and fill the keynote slot that Tom Regan had. Runkle is the Executive Director of Mercy For Animals (MFA), a national non-profit animal advocacy organization he founded in 1999. He has played a leading role in the organization's groundbreaking undercover investigations at Ohio's four largest egg factory farms, rodeo events, and a North Carolina poultry slaughterhouse. Through his work with MFA, Nathan has appeared in stories by dozens of newspapers and radio programs, as well as on PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates. In 2007 VegNews Magazine named Nathan one of the "25 Most Fascinating Vegetarians."

We're very grateful that he can fill in on such last-minute notice!

Don't Miss TLOV's Opening Night, Friday, June 12!

06/03/09 11:00 AM by Gil Schwartz

We hope everyone will join us on the opening evening of TLOV--Friday, June 12 for delicious vegan pizza, complimentary beer and wine. This is a perfect time to mingle with fellow activists, including some of our featured speakers. This will also be a great opportunity to register early and avoid possible lines on Saturday morning.

Most importantly, we will be kicking off the conference with a very special keynote presentation "A Love-Powered Diet, a Love-Powered Life" by Victoria Moran. Victoria is the author of ten books including the bestselling Creating a Charmed Life (in 29 languages and quoted on Celestial Seasoning tea boxes), and has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and NPR’s All Things Considered.

Volunteer at TLOV, Get In Cheaper or Free!

05/13/09 01:25 PM by Gil Schwartz

Volunteer power is a crucial element in the success of a smooth and quality conference. Please consider signing up for a shift or two and be part of the action!

Volunteers at TLOV will receive discounted or free admission. If you would normally pay the full price, volunteering for one shift gets you in at the student/low-income rate, two shifts get you in for free. If you would normally pay the student/low-income price, volunteering for one or two shifts gets you in for free.

You can read more about volunteering and sign-up for a shift(s) here.

Talks Are Scheduled

04/17/09 11:17 PM by Dave Rolsky

We've just published an updated, nearly complete schedule. There are still a few slots we'll be filling in as we wait on some final submissions, but we're very excited by the talks we are going to have at TLOV 2009!

Many New, Featured Speakers!

04/09/09 12:24 PM by Gil Schwartz

WOW! We have recently updated our website with an impressive line-up of additional, featured speakers:

Mark Berkson (Hamline University), Mary Britton Clouse (Chicken Run Rescue), Howard Goldman (Humane Society of the United States), Mark Hawthorne (Activist and Author), Stephen Kaufman (Christian Vegetarian Association), Erica Meier (Compassion Over Killing), Victoria Moran (Author), Jack Norris (Vegan Outreach), Norm Phelps (Author), Nathan Runkle (Mercy for Animals), Rae Sikora (Humane Educator), and Freeman Wicklund (Mercy for Animals)! Read more about them here.

Be part of the action, buy your ticket today!

Hillary Rettig Workshop; Lightning Talks

03/31/09 03:59 PM by Dave Rolsky

At this year's TLOV, we have a special pre-conference workshop taught by Hillary Rettig. The workshop will focus on Time Management and Overcoming Procrastination, two very important topics for effective activism. The workshop is on Friday, June 12, in the afternoon. This is a special add-on, and costs an additional $12 to attend.

We've also opened up our call for lightning talks. The lightning talks were a lot of fun last year. This year, we hope to see even more new faces up at the podium.

Submit a Talk Soon!

03/27/09 01:52 PM by Gil Schwartz

Our Call for Speakers is an opportunity for you to present on a variety of topics related to animal rights and activism. Submissions are due by Tuesday, April 7 so submit a proposal soon!

You may ask yourself, “I'm not a big name, who wants to hear from me?” We do. As a community, we want to encourage people to step up and try new things, so we're really excited to see submissions from new people. You don't need to be famous to give an interesting talk. Just pick a topic that you know a bit about and are excited to share with others that is related to farm animal issues, animal advocacy, vegetarianism, or other relevant topics.

Learn more, review our criteria, and submit a proposal (or several).

Draft schedule available

03/21/09 11:10 AM by Dave Rolsky

We've created a draft schedule. It doesn't have many specific talks yet, but it shows the general outline of each day (meals, keynotes, tracks, etc.).

We'll be publishing a schedule with specific sessions some time in April.

Dorm Housing is Available

02/06/09 03:25 PM by Dave Rolsky

We have some very low-price dorm housing available. It's $25 per night for a single room, and $21 per night per person for a double room. You can purchase a room along with your conference ticket, or wait and purchase a room later.

Check out the lodging page for more details.

Payment is open

01/21/09 05:22 PM by Dave Rolsky

You can now register for the conference. However, payment for dorm housing is not yet available. Don't worry, you can pay for the conference now and pay for housing later if you like.

Final keynote speaker, Kenneth G. Williams

01/04/09 09:57 PM by Dave Rolsky

We're excited to have Kenneth G. Williams, the host of IDA's Undercover TV, as our fourth and final keynote speaker. Besides hosting Undercover TV, Kenneth is also a professional bodybuilder, and a passionate advocate for animals.

Two More Keynotes Confirmed; New Logo

12/19/08 11:59 AM by Dave Rolsky

We've just confirmed two more keynote speakers. Lorri Bauston is well known in the animal community as a co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, and more recently as the founder of Animal Acres. She also spoke at TLOV2008, and we're really happy to have her back.

Tom Regan is well known as one of the foremost philosophers in the animal rights movement. His book The Case for Animal Rights has been called "beyond question the most important philosophical contribution to animal rights". We look forward to seeing him at TLOV 2009.

Also, we have a great new logo this year, designed by Nicole Riner. Thanks, Nicole!

Welcome; First Keynote Confirmed

11/13/08 12:36 PM by Dave Rolsky

Welcome to TLOV 2009. We think this year will be even better than last year, so stay tuned for more announcements of great speakers and general conference awesomeness.

Our first keynote speaker is pattrice jones, who will give a talk titled "In Defense of Actual Animals".