COVID-19 has forced more college and university courses to be conducted online. At the same time, it has curtailed travel by itinerant speakers and lecturers like myself. Since I deeply miss the opportunity to interact with students – and one or two have even acknowledged that they miss hearing from me – I wish to make myself available for online presentations during the remainder of the COVID-19 emergency. In lieu of paying me a fee or honorarium, I am requesting that schools make a volume purchase of one or more of my books commensurate, more or less, with the number of participants.
Sharing my learnings from 50 years of community food system work, both in person and in writing, has been a passion I’ve pursued over the past decade. While the virus has turned the world upside down, the lockdowns, shelter-in-place orders, and quarantines have also wiped out my travel schedule. Admittedly, this has drastically shrunk my carbon footprint and forced me to learn how to use Zoom, but it has also thwarted my yearning to connect more immediately with the food movement’s veterans and newbies.
Virtual speaking events over the past summer and fall – to college classes, conferences, and book clubs – have taught me that online communication can be the next best thing to being there. To that end, I’m happy to work with faculty and students to design a presentation that gives you the content and format that works best for your particular course, seminar, or other sessions and meetings. Generally, I want to stay within the framework of my most recent books, Food Town, USA and Stand Together or Starve Alone, which should allow ample room to explore current food system topics such as sustainability, racial equity and inclusivity, food policy, the response to COVID-19, and how food and community economic development are finding common paths. More information about my background, books, and other writing can be found at www.markwinne.com
To quote our President-elect, “Here’s the deal:” Please contact me by phone (860-558-8226) or email (win5m@aol.com) to discuss your proposed event (e.g. course, seminar, gathering). I encourage you to share as much detail about it as you like. Together, we can determine if I can meet your content and scheduling needs. I will give you book purchase information to make a volume purchase for Food Town, USA (Island Press) and/or Stand Together (Praeger/ABC-CLIO). E-books as well as print copies are available, as is volume discount pricing for print editions. The purchase must be completed before the scheduled presentation. I’m flexible and sometimes versatile, so don’t be afraid to suggest alternative ways of making a presentation work.
I look forward to hearing from you as well as “getting back on the road,” virtually!