Mark Winne

August 28th, 2008 by Mark Winne

Photo by Norah Levine

With the advent of industrialism and its widespread application to our food supply – factory farms, genetic engineering, and agricultural chemicals – the struggle between human freedom and authority has reached a critical juncture. In spite of the rapid growth of an alternative food system – local and sustainable food production, farmers’ markets, the public’s rising food consciousness – we become more dependent everyday on industrial agriculture whose representatives insist that it is the only way to feed a hungry world. In the face of such assertions, we must ask if our dependence on such a system threatens to supplant individual self-reliance. Will personal freedom succumb finally and forever to the dominant voice of authority? Are we at risk of sacrificing our democratic voice to self-appointed governing elites? These are no longer speculative questions suitable only for philosophers, but real-life concerns set squarely on the plate of every eater.

Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas

Mark Winne’s second book, Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas: Fighting Back in an Age of Industrial Agriculture takes on the universal struggle between human freedom and authority in its relationship to food. While drawing from great thinkers like Emerson and Dostoevsky to frame his arguments, Winne moves quickly from philosophy to action with numerous stories about “local doers.” From urban gardening heroes in Cleveland, to feisty farmers in New England, to lower income mothers in Texas, Winne shows how people are reclaiming their connection to their food, health, land, and governments. Along the way he finds people of every stripe whose refusal to accept their fate harkens back to a classic form of American individualism, one that has proven itself able to fight back against systems that not only want to conquer our wallets, but also hope to control our minds.

Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart-Cookin’ Mamas challenges us to go beyond eating local food to become part of a larger solution that demands a system that sustains not just our bodies, but also our souls.

Mark Winne has worked for 40 years as a community food activist, writer, and trainer. From organizing breakfast programs for low-income children in Maine to developing innovative national food policies in Washington, DC, Winne has dedicated his professional life and writing to enabling people to find solutions to their own food problems as well as those that face their communities and the world. Of his first book, Closing the Food Gap, Dr. Jane Goodall said, “It is heartening to find a book that successfully blends a passion for sustainable living with compassion for the poor.”

In addition to his writing, Winne maintains an active speaking and training schedule. For more information see the “Speaking and Training” section of this website. Winne lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty

American society has never been as fair as we might think. Though a land of opportunity and great fortune for some, we have never been a nation able to fully confront, let alone resolve, our social and economic inequalities and disparities. Food, like air and water, is a basic necessity, but stands as a glaring example of how the gap between this country’s “haves” and “have-nots” remains deep and wide. No matter what aspect of the subject we consider — hunger, obesity, or the latest food trends like local and organic — food is emblematic of a promise fulfilled for some but falling ever so short for many.

Closing the Food Gap tells the story of how we get our food: from poor people at food pantries or bodegas and convenience stores to the more comfortable classes, who increasingly seek out organic and local products. Winne’s exploration starts in the 1960s, when domestic poverty was “rediscovered,” and shows how communities since that time have responded to malnutrition with a slew of strategies and methods. But the story is also about doing that work against a backdrop of ever-growing American food affluence and gastronomical expectations.

“Closing the Food Gap reveals the chasm between the two food systems of America-the one for the poor and the one for everyone else. Mark Winne offers compelling solutions for making local, organic, and highly nutritious food available to everyone.”
- Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

How to Order “Food Rebels” or “Closing the Food Gap”

Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart-Cooking Mamas will be available in October 2010. Pre-ordering and ordering may be done through Beacon Press at beacon.org or through your local bookseller and amazon.com.  For special sales and bulk order discounts, please contact Dani Perea at (617) 948-6573 or dperea@beacon.org.

To find an independent bookstore near you visit http://www.indiebound.org/indie-store-finder, or browse to:

• “Food Rebels” at Barnes & Noble
• “Closing the Food Gap” at Barnes & Noble
• “Closing the Food Gap” at Powells
• Both books at Beacon Press

Media Contacts:

To schedule interviews or to request promotional materials, please contact Caitlin Meyer at (617) 948-6584 or cmeyer@beacon.org.

From the War on Poverty to new farmers’ markets, a food expert tackles America’s dangerous dietary split.

Closing the Food Gap tells the story of how we get our food: from poor people at food pantries or bodegas and convenience stores to the more comfortable classes, who increasingly seek out organic and local products. Winne’s exploration starts in the 1960s, when domestic poverty was “rediscovered,” and shows how communities since that time have responded to malnutrition with a slew of strategies and methods. But the story is also about doing that work against a backdrop of ever-growing American food affluence and gastronomical expectations.

Calling largely on his own experience in this field, mixing in surprisingly witty observations on our evolving relationships with food, Winne ultimately envisions realistic partnerships in which family farms and impoverished communities come together to address their continuing struggles.

For twenty-five years Mark Winne was the executive director of the Hartford Food System in Hartford, Connecticut. He now writes, speaks, and consults extensively on community food system topics. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“‘Closing the Food Gap’ is a deeply moving account of Mark Winne’s long career as an advocate for policies that will ensure adequate nutrition for the poor. Reading this book should make everyone want to advocate for food systems that will feed the hungry, support local farmers, and promote community democracy-all at the same time. I want all my students to read this beautifully written and important book.” – Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, and author of Food Politics and What to Eat

BUY THIS BOOK
Individuals can purchase Closing the Food Gap and other Beacon books from a local bookstore, an online bookseller such as Amazon, or our website at www.Beacon.com. Bookstores and other resellers can order books through our distributor, Houghton Mifflin, at 1-800-225-3362.

SPECIAL SALES
Orders of 10 or more copies are eligible for discounts. For more information about special sales discounts or affiliate programs please call Katie Spencer, Beacon Press, at 617-948-6573.

PUBLICITY
For publicity inquiries please call 617-948-6583 or click here to email Gina Frey. You can also click here to contact Mark Winne.

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Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas:

“This book is a lively, personal journey through one man’s efforts to make sustainably grown food available and affordable for regular folks. It’s a heartening, but realistic take on what needs to happen, emphasis on NEED! Bravo Mark!”
– Meryl Streep, Actress

“Food Rebels tells the stories of unsung heroes in the food movement – everyday people who realized that they had the power to change the way food and farming work in their communities and in the world, and did something about it. With these stories, Mark Winne inspires us and challenges us to make a stand for good, clean, fair and affordable food for all.”
– Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA

“It’s rare for a single voice to speak so clearly to the many points of our lives that are touched by food. Mark’s approach is simple, humble, truthful, eloquent and powerful. With stories ranging from Native American communities to Korea, Mark’s work proves the global importance and impact of food.”
– Michel Nischan, Chef and CEO, Wholesome Wave Foundation

“More food for thought from a veteran agricultural activist. In his previous work (Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty, 2008), Winne established that hungry America isn’t feeding its masses nutritiously nor eco-consciously enough. He continues this theme with an apocalyptic opening sequence in which, in the year 2020, a dystopian world succumbs to food conglomerates and mega-processing plants while the environment simmers in a global-warming oven. There’s two camps in the increasingly complicated food wars—industrialized, overprocessed cuisine competes with “alternative,” “good food” that harms neither environment nor human and is at the forefront of the locavore movement. The author crunches the numbers to reveal positive progress. An increasing percentage of grocery companies are using hormone-free animal products and locally grown produce, but these developments, Winne writes, are impeded by factors like the population boom, changing diets, prices and climates. The author’s references to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dostoevsky, broadcaster Charles Kuralt and newspaper columnist Ellen Goodman fortifies his research when paired with informative case studies and excursions to food initiatives in Cleveland, Maine, New Mexico and the empowering Austin, Texas–based cooking and nutrition-educational program, Happy Kitchens. Winne firmly believes that “institutional forces are working feverishly to influence our food systems” to a detrimental degree, but the mention of his own intrinsic humanity is refreshingly relevant: “I eat meat because I have yet to find much in life that competes with a tender rib eye accompanied by a good bottle of zinfandel.” Thankfully, the author doesn’t provide all bad news, and his examination challenges readers to galvanize and bolster reform efforts and, by example, continue the revolutionary concept of “food sovereignty” for American consumers. A good combination of solid research and affirmative testimonials.”
– Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2010 issue

Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty

“‘Closing the Food Gap’ is a deeply moving account of Mark Winne’s long career as an advocate for policies that will ensure adequate nutrition for the poor. Reading this book should make everyone want to advocate for food systems that will feed the hungry, support local farmers, and promote community democracy-all at the same time. I want all my students to read this beautifully written and important book.”
– Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, and author of Food Politics and What to Eat

“‘Closing the Food Gap’ reveals the chasm between the two food systems of America-the one for the poor and the one for everyone else. Speaking from his decades of political activism, Mark Winne offers compelling solutions for making local, organic, and highly nutritious food available to everyone. It’s heartening to find a book that successfully blends a passion for sustainable living with compassion for the poor.”
– Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder-the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

“By combining stories of his deep personal experience as an activist with keen insight into strategies for addressing food injustice, Winne himself fills a gap in the growing literature on good food, why it matters, and how to ensure everyone everywhere has access to it. Plus, the book is a fun read. Winne’s stories made me want to meet him down at the local farmer’s market, and then join him afterward for a cold beer.”
– Anna Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute and author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen

“Having been a part of the movement since the 1970s, serving as (among other positions) the executive director of the Hartford Food System, Winne has an insider’s view on what it’s like to feed our country’s hungry citizens. Through the lens of Hartford, Conn. -a quintessential ‘inner city’ bereft of decent food options apart from bodegas and fast food chains-he explains the successes he witnessed and helped to create: community gardens, inner city farmers’ markets and youth-run urban farms. Winne concludes his tale in our present food-crazed era, giving voice to low-income shoppers and exploring where they fit in with such foodie discussions as local vs. organic. In this articulate and comprehensive book, Winne points out that the greatest successes have been ‘an informal alliance between sustainable agriculture and food security advocates… that shows promise for helping both the poor and small and medium-size farmers.’ For the most part it is a calm, well-reasoned and soft-spoken call to arms to fight for policy reform, rather than fill in, with community-based projects and privately funded programs, the gaps left by our city and state legislators.”
– Publishers Weekly

“Fearless, intelligent, and surprisingly funny.”
– Gwyneth Doland, Santa Fe Reporter

Closing the Food Gap was selected by the United Methodist Women’s organization for its 2010 national reading list.