Lantern

Publishing and Media

Virginia Messina

Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, is coauthor of Vegan for Life and Vegan for Her and of the first textbook on vegetarian nutrition for medical professionals. She writes and speaks on vegan nutrition for both consumers and health professionals. Ginny serves on the board of directors of Vegfund and on advisory boards of One Step for Animals, Veg Youth, and the Vegetarian Resource Group. She lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, with her husband and an ever-changing population of rescued cats. Her website is theveganrd.com.

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Rob Merritt

Rob Merritt graduated from the University of Iowa School of Journalism in 1998 and currently lives in Iowa, where he is a marketing strategist and an actor.

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Nan Merrill

Nan C. Merrill was the author of the classic Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness (2001); Meditations and Mandalas: Simple Songs for the Spiritual Life (2001); and Journey into Love: From Grace to Gratitude (2008). She died in January 2010.

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William Meninger

Fr. William Meninger, OCSO, entered St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, in 1963. While there, he developed a contemplative prayer method based on the fourteenth-century classic The Cloud of Unknowing, leading to a prayer method called Centering Prayer. Fr. William moved from St. Joseph’s Abbey to St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado, in 1979, where he has served as prior and novice director. His books include The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing and Bringing “The Imitation of Christ” into the Twenty-First Century. He contributed to Sundays at the Magic Monastery: Homilies from the Trappists of St. Benedict’s Monastery and to St. Benedict’s Monastery.

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John A. McKinnon

John A. McKinnon, M.D., was educated at Harvard, Cambridge University, Case Western Reserve University, Yale, and Norwich University. He taught at the University of California, San Francisco, and directed psychiatry hospital programs in Texas and Montana. Disgusted with the mediocrity of “managed” care, he left traditional medical centers to co-found Montana Academy, a therapeutic school for troubled teenagers on a remote ranch near Glacier Park. His co-founder and wife, Rosemary, is also a therapist, and they have three daughters.

He is or has been Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Associate Director of Resident Training, University of California (UCSF); Chief, Outpatient Psychiatric Services, San Francisco VA Medical Center; Clinical Director, Adolescent Psychiatry & Substance Abuse, Charter Hospital of Fort Worth, TX; Medical Director, Pathways Treatment Center (Psychiatry Service, Kalispell Regional Medical Center); Private Practice, Adult and Adolescent Psychiatry; and Co-Founder, Montana Academy and Founder, Montana Academy Foundation.

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Brian McCarthy

Chef Brian P. McCarthy has been a professional cook/chef since 1982. In 1995 he turned to a vegan diet for its health benefits, and began to explore the world of vegan cooking as a chef for Bon Appétit. Cooking in Oregon, he ran the Intel vegetarian/vegan international station and prepared dishes for catered events attended by CEOs, mayors, house representatives, senators, and the newly elected Barack Obama. He also spent time leading various cooking classes and presentations for Northwest Veg and Bob’s Red Mill. In 2012 Brian moved to Massachusetts to be a chef at MIT, and became an instructor for The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

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Jo-Anne McArthur

Jo-Anne McArthur is an award-winning photographer, author, and sought-after speaker. Through her long-term body of work, We Animals, she has documented our complex relationship with animals around the globe. Since 1998, her work has taken her to over sixty countries. In 2019 she founded We Animals Media.

McArthur was the subject of the critically acclaimed 2013 documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine, which followed her as she documented the plight of abused and exploited animals and advocated for their rights as sentient beings.

McArthur’s photography and writing has been in publications such as National Geographic and National Geographic Traveller, The Washington Post, The Guardian,  Lens Culture, Medium, VICE, the LA Times, Canadian Geographic, DAYS Japan, Helsingin Sanomat, Der Spiegel, PhotoLife magazine, Huffington Post, Outdoor Photography, and Feature Shoot. In addition, We Animals images have been used by hundreds of organizations, publishers and academics to advocate for animals. Recent awards include 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, photojournalism category; Italy’s Festival of Ethical Photography award, Single Shot; Austria’s Alfred Fried Peace Award in 2018; and the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, People’s Choice category. Her website is We Animals Media.org.

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Jim Mason

Jim Mason was trained as a lawyer. He was one of founders and editor of the Animals Agenda magazine, and co-author (with Peter Singer) of Animal Factories (1980) and The Ethics of What We Eat (2006). He has written articles for The New York Times, New Scientist, Newsday, Orion, and Audubon magazine, and has contributed to several anthologies, including In Defense of Animals (2005). His website is www.jimmason.website.

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Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai was the founder of the Green Belt Movement and the first woman to earn a doctorate in biology in East Africa. A recipient of numerous awards for her work on environmental and social issues, in 2004, she was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2006, she published her memoir, Unbowed. She is also the author of Challenge for Africa and Replenishing the Earth. Professor Maathai died on 25 September 2011 at the age of 71 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Her organization’s website is greenbeltmovement.org.

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