The Noise & The Silence: New Story in Interzone

New Sci-fi Story

in the January/February

Issue of

Interzone 

Called

The Noise & The Silence

On the Interzone site: scroll to the bottom of the page to order an individual copy.

If you want a digital copy, you can order one from Smashwords here.

Or from Weightless Books here.

The story takes place in a city on a desert planet (a lot like where I live, oddly enough). Life there is dominated by what is called "The Wall" - a projection that screams and shouts from public and private walls twenty-four/seven.

Thus, The Noise.

The story follows two people who used to be a part of a movement called "The Silence."

The Silence was a freedom and justice movement where huge groups of people gathered in the streets 

and simply stood in silence.

 The Silence made its first appearance in my book 

On the Side of the Crow.

Interesting note

(I wasn't aware of this until a couple of weeks ago):

One man in Turkey

(performance artist Erdem Gunduz)

began standing in silence in Istanbul in 2013,

protesting government brutality,

and spurred large groups of people to stand in silent protest

across other Turkish cities. 

 

Erdem Gunduz (center)

The Interzone issue 

includes stories by Julie C. Day, Michael Reid, Mel Kassel, 

Val Nolan and T.R. Napper

**********************

And this from Amnesty International USA

about the current state of the Dakota Access Pipeline:

"The Army Corps of Engineers’ Environmental review of the pipeline is still open for public comment. Amnesty International will be filling a submission soon. We need you to send in a comment too.

We must hurry, because at any time the Army Corps may decide to stop the review, as President Trump requested in his memo. The more submissions the Army Corps receives, the more likely it is they will continue their review and take human rights into account.

Here’s how to submit a comment to the Army Corps of Engineers review of DAPL:

• Send an email to Mr. Gib Owen at gib.a.owen.civ@mail.mil.
• Please use “NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing” as the subject of your email.
• Read the Army Corps of Engineers’ notice about the review here.
• Please note that what you submit will likely be made public. Consider this before providing any personal information in your submission.
• Please let me know if you submitted a comment by emailing iar@aiusa.org.
• Here’s an example of what you can write, along with your own personal views. Please make your email personal:

Thank you for conducting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) review of the Dakota Access Pipeline crossing of the Missouri River at Lake Oahe. This review must take into account the serious concerns of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, as well as downriver Indigenous Peoples and other communities, about the impact of the pipeline on the right to access to water, right to a healthy environment, Indigenous rights, cultural rights, Treaty rights and other human rights recognized in international law.

Furthermore, the Army Corps should expand the EIS review to include the entire pipeline, not just the Missouri River crossing at Lake Oahe, and take into account the concerns of all people who may be affected.

Regardless of the outcome of the EIS review, the government should seek the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) before any permits for the pipeline are issued or any construction takes place. The requirement for FPIC in such circumstances is enshrined in international law. The EIS is not sufficient to fulfil the human right of Indigenous People to have decision making power on issues that may harm their rights.

The U.S. government must respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, including those of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe."