Heya, I’m Calen. To start off, I identify with a few different words: vegan, activist, queer, wanderer, traveler, femme, and writer… to name a few. These words/ideas seem to be the ones that mold my experience so actively.

I’m currently sitting in a café (mostly plant-based, woot woot!) in Las Vegas as I write this. Do I live here? No. Where do I live? To tell you the truth, I don’t know anymore!

Last year, I took a trip across the U.S., bike touring and making my way from Virginia to Hawaii, with almost no money. I say “almost” because as I was leaving for my adventure, my loving mother pulled out her strict “scary” voice and told me that I had no choice but to take the gift card that she was about to give me. I kept it with me to use when I felt like coming back home, but I ended up spending it when I crashed my bike down a hill and wrecked it into a tree. Other than that, I worked for things that I needed, including food and cash for transportation at times. And yes, I ate plant-based and continued my veganism the whole time! Even through the dumpster diving and working for food. […]