The 2011-12 WWU Connections series of talks at Village Books kicked off this week with a presentation by Clarissa Mansfield, author of the local blog "Vegan in Bellingham."

Mansfield is a full-time staff member -- a library/archives paraprofessional, to be exact -- in the Western Washington University Libraries. In her presentation, she shared her passion for delicious food, debunked myths about veganism and offered thoughts on cooking and eating out.