Laurie Anderson— the long-celebrated artist and musician, who recently made an acclaimed film, “Heart of a Dog”—discusses the genesis of the movie. She also addresses the scope of ideas, feelings and themes coursing through the movie: “Heart of a Dog” is a visually...
Melanie Sue Bowles— founder-director of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary and the author of three books—provides a brief overview of the work she’s done at the sanctuary for nearly 25 years, as a prelude for discussing a momentous Facebook she had recently written. That...
Dr. Ann Weaver—an animal behaviorist conducting a pioneering, long-term, conservation-based study of free-ranging bottle nose dolphins off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida—explains that she initially gravitated toward dolphins as an academic interest, as...
Richard Couto— founder, chief executive director and lead investigator of the Animal Recovery Mission (ARM), the Miami-based organization that made international news recently by leading what’s been called “the largest tactical strike on extreme animal cruelty...
Mark Reinfeld —the celebrated vegan chef and author who was slated to present a cooking demonstration a few days later at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest—discusses what he’s found, over the years, to be the biggest misconception about vegan eating. He addresses some of the...
Once in a while, I set aside the chief element of the “Talking Animals” format—a long form interview with a single guest—to offer a debate or some other multi-guest panel discussion. As part of that effort, and a parallel desire to give voice to a broader array of...
Bruce Cameron—the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including a string of canine-oriented novels, among them “A Dog’s Purpose,” which generated rapturous critical acclaim and sweeping commercial success—begins the conversation by describing his...
Neko Case—the singer-songwriter who has created a large, revered body of work, much of it laced with nature and animal themes—recalls how her lifelong kinship with animals began as a kid whose parents were infrequently present, so she spent a great deal of time...
Avalon Theisen—the 14-year-old Tampa environmentalist, animal advocate, and founder of Conserve It Forward—describes what Conserve It Forward is and does, and what prompted her to launch it 2010 (at age nine). She explains how the organization has evolved,...
Catherine Doyle--Director of Science, Research and Advocacy for the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and a noted, veteran elephant advocate —explains what’s behind her longtime passion for working to improve the welfare of captive elephants, while noting,...
