Jasmin Singer (born October 30, 1979) is an American animal rights activist. Since 2022, she has been the host of Weekend Edition for WXXI, Rochester, NY's NPR member station. She is the co-founder of the non-profit organization and podcast Our Hen House, serves as editor-at-large of VegNews, and is the former Vice President of Editorial at Kinder Beauty.[1] She also supports LGBTQ+ and overlapping social justice issues.[2][3]
Jasmin Singer was born on October 30, 1979.[9] She grew up in Edison, New Jersey.[10] From childhood to adulthood, Singer struggled with weight problems.[11] She studied at Pace University in New York, where she earned an acting degree.[12]
At age nineteen, she became vegetarian.[13] After graduating, Singer toured with the AIDS-awareness theater company Nitestar as an educator.[14][12] Later, she obtained a master's degree in experiential health and healing from The Graduate Institute, and a holistic health certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.[15]
At twenty-four years old, Singer turned to veganism after watching a film about factory farming.[11] She incorporated animal rights into her LGBTQ+ and feminist activism.[16][14] After going vegan, Singer volunteered at PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia for a week, and began steering her career toward animal rights activism.[17][18]
Shortly afterward, she started writing articles on the subject and became the Campaigns Manager for Farm Sanctuary.[14] Singer was a freelance writer for VegNews magazine for ten years and since 2016 to 2018, was the magazine and digital brand's senior editor.[19]
Writing
Singer has written for VegNews, Huffington Post, Sentient Media,[20] and mindbodygreen.[21][22] She has proposed the use of personal narrative to affect social change, believing that the "animal rights movement has barely even begun to scratch that surface", unlike other social justice movements.[21][23] Her articles on VegNews have focused on "fierce women".[21]
On February 2, 2016, Jasmin Singer released her memoir Always Too Much and Never Enough through Penguin Random House.[24] It tells her struggles with disordered eating, society's mistreatment of overweight people and how she lost almost 100 pounds after starting to look after herself. It also touches on her experiences of having a difficult childhood, being bullied while growing up, animal rights and her sexuality.[25][26] The book was conceived after she was approached by publishers following an article she wrote for MindBodyGreen which reached over 100,000 shares in a day.[27][24] Amy Wilson, reviewing for the publishers's house organ, Everyday eBook, described it as a "finely constructed book" a nd a "fresh and breezy take on memoir", which "manages the delicate feat of sharing her personal journey with an activist's verve that never tips over into the preachy."[28] Merryn Johns at Curve called it "an honest, beautifully written account of her journey".[27]Nathan Runkle opined that "Her witty, yet deeply insightful and educated commentary is not only refreshing, but also provocative."[29] In May 2019, it as included among "The 7 Most Inspiring Books About Weight Loss" by Everyday Health.[26]
The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan
Published in December 2020 by Hachette, The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan: Look Good, Feel Good, & Do Good in 30 Days is Singer's second book and first in partnership with VegNews. The book breaks down myths and tips about going vegan; discusses topics including sex, nutrition, dating, and fitness; and includes 30 plant-based recipes.[30][31]
Our Hen House
In January 2010, Singer and Mariann Sullivan, an animal law professor at Columbia Law School, co-founded the non-profit organization Our Hen House, which produces multimedia content aimed at helping people to create change for animals.[32][33][34] Its website includes interviews, podcasts, reviews, food advice and networking tips, divided into categories such as law, academia and arts.[14] Its best known medium is the Our Hen House podcast, co-hosted by Singer and Sullivan.[14]
Our Hen House also provides the Animal Law podcast, hosted by Mariann Sullivan.[35][36]The podcast has been recognized as a Webby Awards' official honoree in 2013,[37] 2015,[38] 2017,[39] and 2020.[40][41] In 2015, GO magazine chose Our Hen House as one of the most important ecopreneurships of the year.[42]
^Burch, Cathalena E. (10 February 2016). "Restaurant news". Arizona Daily Star (published February 10, 2016). Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
^"Our Hen House". Our Hen House. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
^Hymowech, Gena (23 September 2015). "Eco-preneurs 2015". GO (published September 23, 2015). p. 3. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
