Skip to main contentYou really should read: Vegan Brunch
Vocally vegan and post-punk foodie Isa Moskowitz, who recently moved to town, is a spokeswoman for all things animal-free. Originally a cooking-show creator, she has since written several cute—but still vegan—cookbooks centering on things usually full of animal products, like cupcakes and brunch. Even if you're over the cupcake craze, brunch will never go out of style—you might as well learn how to make it vegan. 4 pm Sunday, Oct. 11, with Tom Malterre and Alissa Segersten. Wieden Kennedy Stage.
What's your personal writing ritual? Candles and a MacBook Pro? Lots of freshly sharpened pencils?
Since I'm a food writer, it usually starts at the stove. Although sometimes it starts when I'm walking past a bakery or watching the Food Network. But yeah, it always ends up with getting flour or some such all over my Mac.
What are your favorite themes to write about (or that you're most guilty of rehashing)?
I probably talk too much about being on food stamps and eating Hamburger Helper as a child.
The most beautiful word in the English language is:Tarmac
What authors made you want to pick up a pen in the first place, and why?
It's a mix of V.C. Andrews and Flannery O'Connor.
Fight Club time: If you could fight one author (or critic), who would it be and why?
Anthony Bourdain. I just want to see him cry like a new busboy.
Name a book you think is highly overrated. Be honest.
Omnivore's Dilemma. Yeah, meat and monoculture are bad for the environment. But let's continue eating it. There is no vegan's dilemma!
Dream project:
Changes day to day. This morning I thought it would be cool to have a green mani/pedi shop, with rainwater foot Jacuzzis.
Most recent nightmare:
Wow, I just had one last night. I was watching gunshots off in the distance and then this granny handed me a rifle and said I would need to use it when "they" came. Who is "they?" I decided to pack my stuff and run. Not sure why I packed first; the stress of it woke me up.
Your cure for writer's block:
Writing. Well, free writing. Just write and write and write gibberish until you form a sentence. Much like I've just done here.
Pessimistic question: Will you keep writing even after people stop reading?
The most important thing to do is to do what you love. I assume most writers were writing before people were reading, so yeah.
Cautiously optimistic question: Obama? Discuss.
I don't care if I don't support all of his ideas, I'm still going to be on his side.
Share one thing you've had to change in your everyday life thanks to our current recession.
Nothing! Vegan food is pretty cheap, so I was good there. I never drove, so that wasn't a problem. And if you didn't know, I was brought up on food stamps and Hamburger Helper, so my needs are few.
Please paste a short paragraph from a story, poem, article, blog post, etc., you're currently working on:
(This is from a blog post I started two years ago, and every time I write a new one I see this. Maybe I can delete it now)
"My mom loves to dump her fridge crap off on me. It's bizarre in its own right, thinking that someone else wants your collection of soy sauce packets from Chinese takeout, but her logic—and I know this is what she is thinking—her logic is that since I write cookbooks she is actually doing me a service."
WWeek 2015