Book Selection
We’ll be discussing selected pages from “Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood” by Samuel Machado and Cynthia Sousa Machado, with Steven M. Wise.
Reading Assignment
Don’t worry about reading the entire book, we’ll provide key selections that frame our discussion. A short PDF will be provided via email after registration. While we’ll provide the selected readings via email, we encourage you to explore the entire book from your local library!
What to Expect
We’ll dive into the powerful intersection of art and advocacy by exploring how graphic novels can communicate complex legal and ethical concepts. Central to our discussion will be Happy’s story – an elephant at the Bronx Zoo whose case challenges us to consider: What does it mean to legally acknowledge the personhood of nonhuman animals? How might applying legal concepts like Habeas Corpus to someone like Happy transform our understanding of animal rights?
We’ll also examine how the graphic novel format itself serves as a vehicle for advocacy, discussing how visual storytelling can make abstract legal concepts accessible and emotionally resonant.
The format is discussion-driven, so we’ll follow the conversation wherever it leads us, with plenty of space for your insights and reflections on both the content and the medium.
How to Prepare
- Register for the event, and add it to your calendar
- Watch for an email with reading selections and the meeting link
- Read the assigned excerpts before the meeting
- Come ready to engage in a discussion about art, advocacy, and animal personhood
Join the Full Series
We encourage you to participate in our complete Fall 2025: Art as Advocacy series! Continuity and group familiarity lead to richer discussions as we build on shared insights and develop deeper understanding together. We hope that each session builds naturally on the previous ones, creating a more rewarding experience for everyone involved.