Vegan Storyteller’s On Being Vegan interview series features Joanne Kong, a critically acclaimed and award-winning classical pianist, harpsichordist, and university professor of music. Joanne’s impressive credentials also include being an author, a highly sought-after public speaker, a workshop presenter, and an animal rights activist. By all counts, and for the purpose of this article, that makes her a vegan virtuoso, a playful title penned by a friend she has known since junior high school.
A unique voice for animal rights and veganism
Joanne’s ability to perform simultaneously on harpsichord and piano, present workshops while simultaneously playing music, and teach university students while writing books is particularly impressive. Her many endeavors succeed because she is tireless in pursuing them. She’s also smart and highly likable.
Joanne Kong masters the piano and harpsichord simultaneously during an unforgettable concert.
Growing up in a musical family
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Let’s start our conversation by talking about your music, something that seems to seep through your veins on a deep level. What was your journey to becoming a renowned classical concert pianist and harpsichordist?
JOANNE KONG
I grew up in a very musical family. I have two sisters and a brother. We grew up listening to classical music and performing with each other.
By the time I was in high school, I realized music has the capacity to really move people. It became my passion.
Listening to a performance in a concert setting gives you the opportunity to sit still and let the music wash over you. Oftentimes, we don’t have this opportunity because we are too busy.
Music connects us to our spirit
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What is the most significant element of music for you?
JOANNE KONG
Music connects us to our inner core or spirit, whatever you feel comfortable calling it. I realized early in life how immensely powerful that feeling is.
I also started teaching young students when I was in high school. I realized that not only performing music but teaching young people about music was a wonderful way for me to develop my creativity.
Music and creativity
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Most people believe you have to be creative in the first place in order to play music. In what ways does music actually play a role in developing creativity?
JOANNE KONG
Well, as a musician, I do perform as a soloist, but most of the time I’m collaborating in a chamber group with other musicians, or I’m performing with a symphony orchestra.
This spring I collaborated with the Richmond Ballet and provided live music for their performance.
When I share music with others, I feel an important energy connection. Doing things together creates an amazing collective artistic energy pathway that is really, really powerful.
The power of creative energy connections
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I understand the pandemic had an impact on how you think about these energy connections, am I right?
JOANNE KONG
It’s true; I especially learned the power of this creative energy connection when going through the pandemic.
If you have watched live music or dance or listened to vocal performances on Zoom, then you know the experience is not the same virtually as it is live.
When you’re in the presence of other human beings, a force field gets created that opens you to the creative process. This vibration goes out and has power in a way that you don’t get through Zoom.
Teaching music plays into creativity and vegan activism
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How does working with students as a professor of music at the University of Richmond play into creativity and activism?
JOANNE KONG
I have been teaching university students for about 22 years. I work mostly with small chamber ensembles of two, three, or four students performing classical music of other composers.
I also work one-on-one with students. Not teaching academic classes gives me a lot of flexibility and a long summer schedule that allows me to pursue my vegan projects and be a voice for animals. It’s a fantastic schedule that suits me
The inherent rewards of teaching music
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What are some of the inherent rewards you have gained as a professor of music working with students?
JOANNE KONG
I have taught music to hundreds of young people over the years.
It’s always so great when they come back to tell me they learned many important skills from me — skills like discipline and work ethic, how important it is to set a long-term goal and be organized and dedicated to what you’re trying to do.
They have also told me that through learning music they have come to realize that there’s this other part of them, this other self that has its own identity, which is not only about the material physical things they connect with, but about who they are as a person.
Music really connects us to our inner core or spirit, whatever you feel comfortable calling it. I realized early in life how immensely powerful that feeling is.
Seeing veganism as a heart revolution
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Can you expound on the idea of music developing a sense of self to make the concept clearer?
JOANNE KONG
I don’t think in society today we talk enough about how experiences shape our identity.
For example, oftentimes people will ask me to explain how music and vegan advocacy are connected. The connection comes from my very sense of self — that innate compassion. We all have it.
Expanding compassion through wholeness
VEGAN STORYTELLER
It sounds like you are talking about personal integrity and recognizing our wholeness.
JOANNE KONG
Unfortunately, we have learned culturally to disconnect from what makes us whole.
By cultural conditioning and the messages we get through mainstream media advertising, we have learned to shut off the part of ourselves which sees that all animals are the same as the companion animals we love.
Every animal, whether human or non-human, has a heart. We all bleed. We all have feelings. We all want to nurture the young and care for one another.
For me, food, music, and advocacy expand the sense of compassion in me and compel me to be a voice for animals. I really see veganism as being a heart revolution.
The convergence of advocating for veganism and teaching music
VEGAN STORYTELLER
It’s clear that music and activism play tandem roles in your life, with both seeming to be equally dominant. Would you say this is an accurate assessment?
JOANNE KONG
Yes, they are both critically important in my life.
I probably spend more time as a university professor just by the nature of the tasks associated with being an academic professor — committee meetings, events, working with students, organizing their performance schedules and their rehearsal schedule, and all of those type of duties.
Teaching and advocacy are one and the same
But really, to me, my teaching tasks and vegan advocacy are one and the same.
I’ve been doing music for a much longer time, but I find more and more that vegan activism is kind of like an outgrowth of what I’ve learned as a musician. The two harmonize
Pandemic leads Joanne Kong to publish the book "Vegan Voices"
Joanne Kong with her published book Vegan Voices (right) and the book that features her as a powerful agent of change.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Would you say this sense of self, of not separating your music from your activism, is what played into you wanting to produce the book Vegan Voices?
JOANNE KONG
I would say that. In fact, I was reading about your background on your blog at Vegan Storyteller. You said you kept hearing a voice to go to the St. Louis Archdiocese website.
You talk about spirit and all that kind of thing. Something similar happened with me.
The pandemic changed the way we connected with one another
When the pandemic hit, a lot of my concerts got canceled or pushed off to a later date. Everybody at the University of Richmond — all of the students — were sent home.
We started doing a lot of instruction by Zoom. Spending more time at home turned out to be the best time to put a book together.
Doing something tangible to represent the vegan journey and lifestyle
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How did Vegan Voices come to be? What inspired you to create the book?
JOANNE KONG
When we sleep, our brain cells are solving problems and developing new ideas.
Literally, I woke up one morning and saw the words in big letters VEGAN VOICES in front of me. It was like a sign that I needed to do something tangible to represent the vegan journey and vegan lifestyle.
And so I put the book Vegan Voices together in a little bit over a year. It has been an amazing and motivational journey for me to see through this book how so many people found their calling, their path, by going vegan.
50 stories
Vegan Voices features about 50 writers who share their unique and powerful stories of what veganism means to them.
Their stories give readers insights into how powerful veganism is.
Joanne Kong becomes vegan after reading Peter Singer's book "Animal Factories"
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How long had you been vegan before you started working on the book Vegan Voices?
JOANNE KONG
My vegan journey was kind of long. It started with me first going vegetarian 37 years ago after reading a book that Peter Singer and Jim Mason wrote. Here’s how that story goes:
My husband is also a musician. He and I were living in San Antonio, where I had my first teaching job at the University of Texas.
Animal Factories
One day my husband brought home a book called Animal Factories. It’s a thin volume that Peter Singer wrote in 1980.
It was a groundbreaking book at the time because it was practically the first book to narrate and illustrate where meat comes from.
Book leads to instant transformation
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Singer’s book describes in graphic detail what animals experience in facilities like factory farms and slaughterhouses. How did this book impact you personally?
JOANNE KONG
My husband and I read the book, and the very next day we decided to leave animals off of our plates. Giving up meat was an easy decision, even in Texas, which is a big meat producing state.
We never looked back. In a way, the decision had already been made for us. It was like the decision to give up meat had been lying dormant in both my husband and me.
We just needed Singer’s book as a catalyst to bring things into focus.
Looking back on it now, I understand that we simply did not have the level of awareness to consider things from the animals’ perspective.
Becoming aware of what animals endure to become the food society eats
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What was your state of mind regarding animals prior to reading the book Animal Factories?
JOANNE KONG
Prior to reading Animal Factories, it had never occurred to me or my husband what animals endure to become the food we eat.
Looking back on it now, I understand that we simply did not have the level of awareness to consider things from the animals’ perspective.
I feel bad knowing that I never associated the foods I was eating with animal abuse, pain, and horrific suffering.
Sharing stories about going vegan can help others make better choices
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Do you think that sometimes sharing our stories and regrets can help others make better decisions in their own lives?
JOANNE KONG
I tell the story of my vegan journey to people in my presentations and to the groups I speak with, hoping that my story might unlock something in them in the same way that Singer’s book unlocked something lying dormant in me.
But even though I had become much more aware of the horrible abuses of animals and devastating impact of animal agriculture on the planet, I was still consuming dairy.
About eight or nine years ago a new awareness struck me, and I decided that there was no way I could support animal agriculture as a consumer. I went fully vegan.
Even though I had become much more aware of the horrible abuses of animals and devastating impact of animal agriculture on the planet, I was still consuming dairy.
Joanne Kong with Gene Bauer, co-founder of Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York. Gene is one of 50 contributors to the book “Vegan Voices,” which Joanne created and edited.
The story behind Joanne's book "Vegan Voices"
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Your book has its own story, which is fascinating to someone like me who understands the publishing world. Your experience as an author is rare in the publishing industry. Your book was published rapidly.
JOANNE KONG
The process was that in the summer of 2020, right smack in the middle of the pandemic, I first wrote to Lantern Publishing and Media.
They publish a lot of wonderful books about veganism as social justice.
Compiling personal stories for Vegan Voices
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You chose your potential publisher well. Lantern publishes books that make intellectual connections in the realm of philosophy. I love that about their books.
JOANNE KONG
Right. Yes. Me too. Through their foundation, Lantern published Will Tuttle’s book World Peace Diet and they have published books by Jo-Anne McArthur, an animal rights activist with We Animals Media.
Jo-Anne uses photography as a tool for activism. I thought Lantern would be a good fit for Vegan Voices, so I contacted the publishing company.
The normal process with book publishing, from what I understand, is you assemble your manuscript and then you shop it around and see who is interested.
But for some reason, the folks at Lantern Publishing said, “Let’s go with the book.”
A book that was meant to be
VEGAN STORYTELLER
The publishing world normally doesn’t work like this at all. Your experience, from the time you woke up seeing the giant letters VEGAN VOICES, to the direct hit of sending a letter to Lantern, sounds providential to me, like the book was meant to be.
JOANNE KONG
That’s how it also worked out with the people I contacted for the stories in the book.
I knew when reaching out to people that a lot of them were going to be really busy and wouldn’t have time to do this.
I was so glad that out of the roughly 90 individuals I contacted, 50 were able to contribute an essay.
And then for the next few months I gave folks a deadline of either December or January 1st to submit their essays to me.
I edited them and then compiled the manuscripts. I sent the stories to Lantern in March. They have their own team of editors who further refined everything. The book came out last October, in 2021.
Awakening to the power of storytelling
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Did the process of getting intimately close to the written word when compiling manuscripts and reading and editing them strengthen your own commitment to veganism or ramp up your actions as an activist in any way?
JOANNE KONG
Yes, it absolutely did. Because the thing that’s remarkable is first of all, I think people get inspired when they hear what others are doing.
It’s like, oh, I want to be like so-and-so, or this person really improved their health, so I’m going to try that out. So first of all, I came to realize the power of storytelling.
And then, I also began to understand that everybody has their own path and we each have unique abilities we can use to spread the word about veganism.
That was a powerful awakening for me when working on the book.
All vegan voices matter
Joanne Kong with Will Tuttle, author of “The World Peace Diet,” and contributor to her book “Vegan Voices.”
The book Vegan Voices has essays by artists, filmmakers, musicians, sanctuary owners, entrepreneurs, community organizers, and more. We have so many ways we can use our voices to express why going vegan is important.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
JOANNE KONG
What types of people are represented in Vegan Voices?
Roles of the wonderful authors represented in the book include journalists, street activists, scientists, and folks who speak to young kids about veganism.
One writer is beginning to put together a chain of vegan grocery stores in Norway.
The book has essays by artists, filmmakers, musicians, sanctuary owners, entrepreneurs, community organizers, and more.
We have so many ways we can use our voices to express why going vegan is important.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You raise a good point. Why is it important for vegans to use their voice for animals and to grow the vegan movement?
JOANNE KONG
I tell people that just being who you are as a vegan is important. It is enough to be in the community, maybe supporting vegan restaurants or maybe wearing a T-shirt with a vegan message on it.
My activism actually started, and this was shortly after I went vegan, because one of the students I work with made a comment to me.
He said, “Hey, I noticed that you never get sick. You’re always so healthy. You have lots of energy.”
Taking risks and finding new opportunities to liberate animals
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How did this student’s curiosity about your healthiness lead to new opportunities and an expanded horizon for you?
JOANNE KONG
This student wanted to know what I did to stay healthy.
Of course that gave me an opening to talk about vegan nutrition. And the student said, “You know, you need to educate other people about this.”
Catalyst for vegan activism
It was really that student who was the reason I became an activist. He made me realize that this is something important that I could be doing to help animals. Up until this point,
I had never considered activism. I had never given thought as to how I could expand my role as an educator and writer to really talk about this very important aspect of the vegan lifestyle.
So, that’s really how my advocacy started. It started with a student’s comment.
It was really that student who was the reason I became an activist. He made me realize that this is something important that I could be doing to help animals.
Joanne gives a TED Talk about how food impacts animals and the environment
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I love that your student was a Zen-like master. It’s awesome when young people can mentor us, and we can mentor them.
JOANNE KONG
My TED Talk, which now has more than a million views, also came about because of a young violin student I taught. He’s now at Yale Law School, which demonstrates what an exceptional student he was.
One day he was explaining to me why we needed to have a TEDx event at the University of Richmond. He was passionate about it and organized the first one. I attended the event to see what it was all about.
The power of one to make a difference
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Another thing I like about this story is that it shows the power of one individual – your student – to make a difference in the life of another – you.
JOANNE KONG
Yes, because this student then organized a second TEDx event the following year. Right away, when he told me he was organizing the second event, I told him that I wanted to be a part of it to talk about veganism.
I ended up being one of the speakers. Again, the influence of one of my students is how I ended up doing a TED talk.
Using a world stage to spread the word about veganism
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I love that inspiring story. It’s great that a student organized the TED talk, and it’s great that you saw an opportunity to be a voice for animals and get the word out about veganism to the entire world. Your talk has been translated into multiple languages
JOANNE KONG
And you know, it’s funny; it really didn’t take me that long to put together the TED Talk because I basically knew what I wanted to say.
I went to the speech center here on the University of Richmond campus to get some extra speaking tips.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Did your experience and comfort being on stage as a performer make it easier for you to begin speaking publicly about veganism and animal rights?
JOANNE KONG
I know that my ability as a publicly performing musician obviously translates over into public speaking because I am accustomed to being in front of an audience.
I have to present myself as being poised and articulate. I felt that I could benefit from having tips from the speech department on how to approach the TED Talk stage. They were a big help to me.
Combining vegan activism with concert performances
VEGAN STORYTELLER
That brings me to another question. When you are engaging audiences with your music, do you combine vegan activism into a combined form of performance art and spoken word?
JOANNE KONG
Actually, I conduct different activities in different ways.
A large portion of what I do as an activist is public speaking, where I’ll talk about a certain topic maybe with PowerPoint and maybe without it. Those presentations are usually about 45 minutes.
For example, I’ll speak at a Vegfest about common myths surrounding veganism.
Impacts of animal agriculture
If I’m speaking to a university environmental student group, I’ll talk about the impacts of animal agriculture on the planet.
If I’m speaking to an animal rights group, it will be more about the individuality of animals, how we as a society have distanced ourselves from them.
Those are a few examples of how I tailor my presentations to my audience.
Vegan advocacy allows for strong connections
Joanne Kong speaking to an audience about veganism.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
In addition to presentations, you also do small discussion groups, don’t you?
JOANNE KONG
I especially did a lot of these when I traveled to India in 2018. I visited 10 cities and my organizer had the wonderful idea of having all of us sit in a circle.
We might be meeting in a community center with 12 to 15 of us sitting around in a circle with me tossing out questions.
Making connections through shared experiences
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What are the merits of a small group discussion?
JOANNE KONG
I think people learn so much from hearing what others have gone through on their vegan journey.
Talking about how they feel often resonates with another person’s experiences, which opens to the door to all kinds of things being discussed. And so, for me, the discussion aspect is really critical.
I don’t see myself as some kind of expert or celebrity on stage. It’s not at all about that. It’s about making connections and sharing ideas through discussion that are really important to me.
It's about making connections and sharing ideas through discussion that are really important to me.
Combining presentation and piano performance
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Can you elaborate on the notion of how veganism often serves as a catalyst for transformative change?
JOANNE KONG
In a 2019 presentation at NAVS Summerfest, I talked about the power of veganism and how it can be transformative through a presentation that I combined with a piano performance.
I spoke for about 10 minutes on certain topics and then played the piano to give people time to connect to the topics on a heartfelt level.
Joanne gives her audience a unique experience
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Can you describe the flow to give us an idea of what the presentation looked like by combining your music with a targeted message?
JOANNE KONG
While I performed, images relevant to my topics were projected onto a screen behind me. Images were of other activists, environmental concerns, animals, and that sort of thing.
I rotated between speaking and performing. It was wonderful to combine music, spoken narrative, and imagery. The music adds tone and dimension. It has its own sensory pathway, reinforcing the perception of spoken words.
How being vegan improves health and vitality
VEGAN STORYTELLER
So much of what we have talked about integrates body, mind, and soul. What would you say are some health and spiritual benefits of veganism?
JOANNE KONG
There are definite spiritual benefits to being vegan.
By eating plants, the energy I’m putting into my body is pure. Another being did not have to suffer and die in order for me to eat.
There is a certain lightness that I feel in my body, as well as feeling a sense of connectedness to the earth and other animals.
Aligning your lifestyle with your values
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What you have just described is how I always feel when I am aligned with my core values.
JOANNE KONG
Living my values and being as kind as I can be are definite positive aspects of my life, that I owe to being a vegan.
As for health benefits of a vegan diet, they are countless. For one thing, when you go vegan for health reasons, it starts opening up your emotional self, as well
I have talked to many people who have gone vegan and said that once they started experiencing physical benefits of veganism, something emotional happened and their hearts opened up more.
Going vegan opens channels of compassion
Joanne with Oliver.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How does veganism change people and cause them to open up in new ways?
JOANNE KONG
I have talked to many people who have gone vegan who said that once they started experiencing physical benefits of veganism, something emotional happened and their hearts opened up more.
It’s like this whole compassionate side opens up. It’s almost like eating vegan becomes a catalyst to then drive you to look for other ways to not to only improve your health and your life, but the lives of others.
Veganism is a lifelong journey
VEGANS TORYTELLER
Some people are under the impression that veganism is nothing more than a dietary choice. How do you respond when faced with that mindset?
JOANNE KONG
I always stress to people that veganism is not a diet or the latest food fad. It’s not just this physical thing that happens.
It’s more like a journey of realizing what life is about. I’m always emphasizing veganism as a life journey. It’s not like it’s this goal you achieve and then you’re done.
Modeling a cruelty-free lifestyle through daily living
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Does modeling the lifestyle come into play for you as an activist — being an example to others simply through your daily actions as a vegan?
JOANNE KONG
When my student asked me why I never got sick, I realized that one of the most important things we can do as vegans is to simply let our lifestyle shine as a model of excellent health.
That alone helps to spread the positive message of veganism. It’s not uncommon for people to tell me that I look much younger than I am. They want to know my secret.
This opens a door and gives me the opportunity to talk about my whole-food, plant-based diet and its many benefits, as well as my ethical choice for going vegan.
I guess that is the broadest message I like to get across. I like to feel that I’m empowering others to realize they are capable of giving so much more than they ever thought possible by becoming vegan.
How people view plant-based diets
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You and I were vegetarians nearly four decades ago, long before it was mainstream and people began to accept it as a normal lifestyle. What shifts have you seen in cultural attitudes in recent years about being vegetarian and vegan?
JOANNE KONG
Think of all the positive changes, even in just the past five years!
The options for plant-based eating are endless today by comparison to our journey 40 years ago.
I do get discouraged when I still realize what a low percentage of vegans there are compared to the global population.
But I have to remain positive when I see how consumer demand is driving the rise of plant-based products and more interest in being healthier and making better food choices.
I have to remain positive when I see how consumer demand is driving the rise of plant-based products and more interest in being healthier and making better food choices.
What’s the difference between a pig and a dog?
VEGAN STORYTELLER
When you were starting out as an advocate, you wrote a small booklet with pictures of a dog and a pig on the front cover. Tell us about this first book of yours.
JOANNE KONG
I have always had animals in my life. The book you are referring to, more a booklet really, is what I came up with when trying to think of how I could plant seeds in people’s minds so they started thinking about veganism in ways that maybe they had never thought of in the past.
The book is titled If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan. It revolves around a pig — an animal we eat — and a dog — an animal we love and protect.
Perception makes animals either lovable or edible
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What was the lesson you wanted people to learn from the book?
JOANNE KONG
My goal was to get people to realize that a pig and a dog are not so different, other than our perception of them.
I wanted something people could read in one sitting and understand that most of us will never personally witness the plight of animals on factory farms.
Their suffering is like an invisible thread in the fabric of our everyday lives.
Don’t refuse with your eyes what the animals endure with their bodies
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Why was putting this book together so important? What messages do you want to convey to readers?
JOANNE KONG
On some level we are aware that innocent creatures are being slaughtered. Our cultural norms about meat consumption have led us to turn a blind eye to that reality.
Throughout the book there are about 20 different topics, accompanied by quotes from philosophers, animal advocates, and well-known vegans
Our perception of animals matters
For example, Shaun Monson, producer of Earthlings, says in the book, “Please don’t refuse with your eyes what the animals endure with their bodies.”
I hope that this book gets people thinking about our perception of animals, and the wide-ranging benefits of going vegan.
People can receive a copy of the book by contacting me through my website.
Joanne's book is a companion piece to her presentations
VEGAN STORYTELLER
How can people get a copy of the book?
JOANNE KONG
I usually don’t sell the book, but hand it out at vegfests or give some to friends with the hope that they will pass it on to others.
The booklet is kind of like a little nugget. I like to use it as a companion piece to my workshops and presentations.
Understanding what animals can teach us
Joanne and Jerry share a light-hearted conversation.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I would like to ask one final question about your attitude toward animals. You have a special bond with an African grey parrot named Jerry. During our interview, I was struck by your comments about his intelligence and the special connection you have with him. What is it about Jerry that makes your relationship unique?
JOANNE KONG
It’s amazing how attached you can get to a bird. Ravens, grey parrots, and crows really can connect with us on a deep level. They are among the most intelligent of all birds.
Jerry is about 10″ long, and he is always listening. He is fully aware. He oftentimes tells us what he wants to eat, and he says “Go night” when it’s time for him to sleep.
He seems to know things in unusual ways. For example, if we’re cutting an apple (which he loves) in a totally different room that is far from where he is, he’ll call out “Apple!”
And if often happens that 10 minutes before I return home from work (the time varies widely due to my teaching schedule), my husband says that Jerry starts calling my name.
He is a constant reminder to me of how remarkable animals are, and how they can do so many things that we can’t.
On some level we are aware that innocent creatures are being slaughtered. Our cultural norms about meat consumption have led us to turn a blind eye to that reality.
8 things you can do to gain confidence as a public speaker and advocate for veganism
Unsplash Aman Upadhyay
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You are a successful animal rights and vegan activist by all counts. Do you have any advice for people who might want to follow the example you set in spreading the vegan message?
JOANNE KONG
My advice is to start small and keep growing your confidence until you feel comfortable. This is the way I started out.
1. Find grassroots opportunities to speak publicly
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Can you give us a few examples of how you started small and kept increasing your skills and confidence level?
JOANNE KONG
On our university campus, we had a lunchtime forum where faculty members could get up for half an hour and speak about anything. So, I got up and spoke about being vegan. It was the first talk I ever gave on veganism.
Richmond also has a local vegan society, so I started attending their meetings. At the events, local folks in the community can share their stories. This is a great way for people to practice speaking about veganism or animal rights.
I would advise people to search out opportunities to speak at a church activity, vegan society meeting, or anyplace else. Look in your community for informal speaking opportunities.
2. Seek feedback about your presentation
VEGAN STORYTELLER
These are good suggestions. What other tips can you offier?
JOANNE KONG
Something else I have found effective is to gather friends together for a simple brown bag vegan lunch.
Before the gathering ends, ask your friends if they will listen to your story about your vegan journey and ask if they will give you feedback on ways you can improve your talk.
This sort of informal platform gets you comfortable talking with people. From there, you can branch out to places like the local women’s club or other civic organization or meetup group.
3. Keep doing things to build confidence as a speaker
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I can see where following these suggestions could lead to greater confidence in speaking before large groups of people.
JOANNE KONG
The key is to start out small and then keep reaching out to more and more events such as Vegfests, meetups, and larger conferences as you become more confident as a speaker.
If you feel uncomfortable coming up with your own script, include some poetic reflections, or play some music that inspires you. There are a lot of ways to get creative.
4. Retain knowledge to speak effectively about the vegan lifestyle
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You retain a wealth of knowledge and are able to present that knowledge confidently when speaking to audiences. How do you manage this?
JOANNE KONG
I’m constantly learning, so when I learn a certain fact — whether it’s from a conference presenter or a favorite podcaster, I’ll jot down things so that I don’t forget.
I maintain another notebook where I write down information I’ve learned in various categories. For example, health, climate change, the environment, or ethics.
5. Remember questions people ask and assemble resources
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You have made a science out of assembling resources.
JOANNE KONG
I have a list of common questions people ask after I give a talk. Inevitably, someone will ask a question I had never thought of. I’ll write it down so that I’ll be ready to answer it next time!
Earthling Ed has published a book that is a good resource of knowledge. His book contains questions people have asked him. It’s fantastic, and it’s a good model to follow. We can all assemble our own resources.
6. Network to increase your value as a public speaker
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Does networking come into play at all when developing skills as a public speaker?
JOANNE KONG
Yes, it does. I keep a notebook of all of the contacts I’ve made since starting my advocacy. This helps me remember the people I’ve spoken with and the things we talked about.
I also keep track of people who say they might be interested in me doing a future talk for their organization or veg event.
7. Become as knowledgeable as you can about veganism
VEGAN STORYTELLER
It appears that learning and advocacy go hand-in-hand.
JOANNE KONG
Speaking about and advocating for veganism is a constant learning experience. We have to address different types of people in different groups so we can become as knowledgeable as possible and be the best advocates we can be for veganism.
8. Build a website to promote what you are doing
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What about an internet presence? Do you advise vegan activists to actively engage online?
JOANNE KONG
The advice I would give vegan activists is to build a website to promote what you are doing and build your credibilty.
For example, I have a place on my website called Endorsements. If I have given a talk somewhere at an important conference or university, I sometimes will ask the presenter to write a sentence or two about why they felt my presentation was beneficial to them.
Sometimes the endorsements come spontaneously through an email. When that happens, I’ll ask for their permission to put their sentence on my website.
Career moves and happenstance cause Joanne to transition to veganism
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You teach at the University in Richmond, Virginia, but you are not originally from there. What does your journey look like?
JOANNE KONG
I was born in New York and grew up in New Jersey. Then my family moved to California, where I received an undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California.
When I got married, my husband and I moved to Oregon and attended the University of Oregon, where I received my Master’s and Doctorate degrees.
Then we moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I had my first teaching job. It’s interesting how the path your life takes makes growth in your life possible.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Do you ever wonder how your life might be different today if you hadn’t ended up in San Antonio?
JOANNE KONG
If I hadn’t gotten that teaching job in San Antonio, I wonder if my husband would have walked into a bookstore someplace else and bought Peter Singer’s book Animal Factories – the book that changed my life.
I think everything happens for our benefit and that it's important to be open emotionally and spiritually to allow things to move through us and take hold in our lives.
Invisible forces guide us to our purpose
VEGAN STORYTELLER
It’s like a spirit or universal force guides us along a pathway to make the right choices and meet the right people so we can fulfill our purpose. Have you found this to be true in your life?
JOANNE KONG
I think everything happens for our benefit and that it’s important to be open emotionally and spiritually to allow things to move through us and take hold in our lives.
A door closes and another one opens. We lose a job and then something better comes along. It’s only in looking back that we can see how the dots were being connected to fulfill our life’s purpose. It’s the great mystery of life.
Vegans are in this together
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I like the notebook system you mentioned earlier for staying connected with people. What is your strategy for developing a high-impact network of supporters to strengthen your vegan activism and grow the vegan movement?
JOANNE KONG
The connections you make with everybody you meet are vitally important because we’re all in this together.
Veganism is a growing community. We need to help each other in our entrepreneurial endeavors and high impact networking so the vegan movement gets bigger and stronger. This is super, super important.
Mutual support strengthens the vegan community
VEGAN STORYTELLER
I resonate with your words when you say that we are all in this together. It’s a reminder that each of us can utilize our inherent gifts to advocate for the vegan lifestyle.
JOANNE KONG
With vegan advocacy, it’s all about community and supporting each other’s work. We each give the message out in a slightly different way. Some do it through writing books, blogging, or speaking.
Others do it by making documentaries or opening a vegan food business. By supporting each other, we strengthen the vegan community and the message.
Overcoming the inner struggle of not doing enough
VEGAN STORYTELLER
There is so much work to be done to advocate for animal rights and the vegan lifestyle. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough to help grow the vegan movement. Do you struggle with similar feelings?
JOANNE KONG
A couple of years ago, I went through a period where I felt like I wasn’t doing enough for the movement. I was expressing that feeling to a friend and he reminded me that I’m not doing this alone.
There are millions of other people doing it too. Each of us is one part of a powerful force of individuals who are here now, on this planet at this time to make people aware.
Media buzz about Joanne
Joanne Kong and the Richmond Symphony’s former Executive Director David Fisk.
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Thanks for that reminder. It’s easy to feel like a lone wolf out there, or just a small collective. So, it is very important to remember that an entire network of vegans are in the world making a difference. And speaking of making a difference, I believe you have been featured in a documentary about veganism, as well as a book about change makers.
JOANNE KONG
I was recently included in a documentary narrated by Kate Winslet. It’s called Eating Our Way to Extinction.
The book is titled Legends of Change, the Unstoppable Rise of Veganism. It is about women who are impacting the world. The author contacted me out of the blue and said she wanted me to be in her book.
The same thing happened with the documentary. One day, I simply got an email from one of the film’s managing directors who said she was researching plant-based advocates and came upon my work. She said she wanted me to be in the movie.
A word about getting publicity
VEGAN STORYTELLER
It’s fascinating when things like that happen. It reminds me of the saying, “Build it and they will come.”
JOANNE KONG
The publicity I have received is a good example of how any of us can become advocates for veganism. I don’t have a professional degree in medicine. I’m not a scientist, and I’m not a business owner. I am a musician.
If you educate yourself and are passionate about what you’re doing, you can make important connections and get active. Good things will follow in terms of your ability to get your message out.
Sharing our vegan stories gives hope to others
Vegan Storyteller
Your actions and the lifestyle you model clearly inspire people. Didn’t a medical doctor feature you on a platform, identifying you as a person who gives him hope?
JOANNE KONG
Dr. Michael Klaper, who I met at the North America Vegan Society Summerfest, told me he had been reading about my work. I’m not sure what prompted it, but he put me in his newsletter and said I was a person who gives him hope.
Grateful for the media exposure
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Well, I thought that was pretty special. We all need people to give us hope. I thought it was impressive that a plant-based doctor pointed to you as someone who gives him hope. How does this make you feel?
JOANNE KONG
It makes me feel grateful that I have opportunities to spread the word about veganism, as it touches upon so many of the challenges we face today.
It makes me feel grateful that I have opportunities to spread the word about veganism, as it touches upon so many of the challenges we face today.
Recommended documentaries and podcasts
Joanne Kong (center) at Vegan Summerfest with podcaster Victoria Moran and documentary filmmaker Thomas Wade Jackson.
Impactful documentaries
VEGAN STORYTELLER
With your focus on learning, coupled with your media connections, a wide network of colleagues and peers, and a vast array of collected resources, I imagine you have some favorite podcasts and documentaries that you find particularly enlightening. Which of these do you recommend?
JOANNE KONG
I highly recommend the documentaries Forks Over Knives and Earthlings.
Cowspiracy is a great documentary for learning about the environmental impacts of the animal agriculture industry.
Game Changers is motivational for athletes who want to explore a plant-based diet to improve their stamina and performance.
Dominion is another excellent documentary that I recommend, although it’s very graphic.
Impactful podcasts
VEGAN STORYTELLER
What about podcasts? I know it might be hard to narrow it down to just a couple.
JOANNE KONG
As for podcasts, there are many of them I listen to and would recommend. Victoria Moran with Main Street Vegan comes to mind immediately. She and her husband also have something called “Compassion Consortium,” where guests talk about the spiritual aspects of veganism.
I also recommend podcasts produced by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with Dr. Neal Bernard.
Another one is Chef AJ. Hers is super popular. She has an amazing backstory about getting her health back and losing weight and keeping it off. She inspires so many people!
Another one of my favorite podcasters is Hope Bohanec, who lives in California. She has a podcast called Hope for the Animals that centers a lot on animals and animal rights.
The wonderful thing about promoting veganism today is how helpful the internet is. There is so much out there to help us be good advocates.
Filling summertime with vegan activism and concert performances
VEGAN STORYTELLER
You are equally devoted to your music career and vegan activism. What is on the horizon for you in each of these areas of your life?
JOANNE KONG
This spring I performed in San Antonio and presented a talk in Houston for the Peaceful Planet Foundation.
I just finished a presentation for the Food and Climate Working Group, and am working with the Compassion Arts Festival.
That’s going to take up a lot of my time this summer.
Branching out through collaboration
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Will you be embarking into any new territory or doing anything experimental this summer?
JOANNE KONG
I’m also hoping to start some performance presentations that combine music, poetry, and reflection in a broad way to communicate compassion and kindness.
I’m working on this project in collaboration with a tireless vegan advocate from Germany, Christoph Wagner, who is a wonderful classical cellist.
I have a concert in August, and I have joined the volunteer advisory council of Lantern Publishing and Media, the company that published Vegan Voices.
Ending the interview with a thankful heart
VEGAN STORYTELLER
Is there anything else we haven’t talked about that you would like to mention?
JOANNE KONG
I would like to thank YOU so much for the work you do to spread the stories of vegans. All the work we do together is moving the world to greater peace and compassion!
FOLLOW JOANNE KONG
Joanne Kong uses her knowledge and gifts to improve her life, the lives of animals, and the lives of others. Her interest in everything keeps her learning and working to make the world a better place. Joanne is a true Renaissance woman for the 21st century. An inspiration to us all, she is leading the way towards a more compassionate world. Be sure to buy her highly inspirational book Vegan Voices.
Vegan Storyteller shares people’s personal journeys in the ON BEING VEGAN interview series to illuminate the world. Stories about vegans inspire and uplift us and help us realize that a vegan lifestyle benefits not just people, but animals and the environment as well. If you are a vegan thought leader or influencer with a vibrant web presence to impact others, I’d like to interview you. Please contact me if you would like to be interviewed for the ON BEING VEGAN interview series.
Vegan advocacy actions are an important part of growing the vegan movement. Most of us take direct action to further the vegan cause and help animals because we have a set of values that excite us and bring us together on common ground.
Vegan advocacy actions help grow the vegan movement.
