As the Executive Director of Slow Food Nation, I wholeheartedly disclose my deep conflict of interest in reporting on last weekend’s events. This week, I am writing a series of blog posts about the experience of building Slow Food Nation, on our resources and team, and on what we learned from the event.

Slow Food Nation met the goal of energizing and empowering the American food movement by involving a broad group of collaborators, and I hope to share my experiences with all of you to inform future green events, movement building, and broad collaborative programs. As I reread the blogs, articles, tweets, and emails – and reflect on my experience over the past week – I feel that the net result of the event was far more powerful than I had let myself dream. I also know that Slow Food Nation was far from perfect, and I was frustrated many times by the omission of voices, stories and perspectives in the event.

In this week’s posts, I want to explain, reflect on, and acknowledge various aspects of our planning and constraints to hopefully deepen (or explain) the experience we all shared in San Francisco on Labor Day Weekend.

Check back tomorrow for the first of four posts on the following topics:

Defining and Planning Slow Food Nation

The Real Picture: Our Team and Resources

The Backstory on the Taste Pavilions & Civic Center Plaza

Next Steps for Slow Food Nation

Anya Fernald began her career in food working in rural development in southeastern Sicily developing cooperatives for artisan cheesemakers. She then spent four years working for Slow Food International in Italy, working as the Program Director for the Slow Food Foundation. Anya returned to her home state of California in 2005 to work as Program Director at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF). Anya went on leave from CAFF in late 2007 to launch the inaugural edition of Slow Food Nation in San Francisco.