Meet Dustin Harder, author of Epic Vegan and Epic Vegan: Quick and Easy
How do you celebrate Pride throughout the year?
I grew up finding it difficult to be my authentic self in a world that didn't accept me for the whole of who I am, I was scared a lot of the time and often pretending to be someone I wasn't. I am grateful the world is changing and I celebrate pride all year long by striving to be as authentic as possible in my daily actions.
Who is a favorite queer writer?
Armistead Maupin. Armistead created a world for me to feel safe in with his "Tales of the city" series. I was able to pick up one of his books and escape into a city where I could envision myself living with the characters and have them embrace me for who I am, it was a welcomed change to my reality. His books helped me appreciate and understand compassion through the characters he created. I'm forever grateful for 28 Barbary Lane.
What words of celebration do you have for queer youth today?
Thank you for being courageous, thoughtful, and brave. Please remember that the freedom you are experiencing today didn't happen overnight. Respect the history of the LGBTQ+ community as much as you do the present and the future, without queer leaders of the past, we wouldn't be where we are today. Even with where we are in progress today, we still have a long way to go.
What’s your favorite thing about being an author/creative?
I love being an author because it allows me an outlet to create. It also gives me a space to talk freely about my husband just as lovingly as Desi spoke about Lucy or Beyonce talks about Jay-Z. Our love is just as real as straight couples and I'm thrilled to have the pages of a book to share that in. I'm a cookbook author, and David (my husband) is my number one taste tester.
Dustin Harder is the host and creator of the original series, The Vegan Roadie. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, he is a vegan chef, cooking instructor and works in culinary development for restaurants and various food brands. Dustin has been seen on The Food Network and appeared in various publications such as Eating Well, VegNews, Vegan Lifestyle Magazine, Chowhound, Vegetarian Times, and Paste magazine. He is the author of The Simply Vegan Cookbook featured by Forbes as one of the “Best Vegan Cookbooks,” Epic Vegan named one of the "Best Vegan Books of 2019" by Eat This, Not That, and Epic Vegan Quick and Easy. Learn more about Dustin Harder at veganroadie.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@TheVeganRoadie).
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