My new TRUE STORY about participating in the liberation of 60 rats from a vivisection laboratory is the cover story for the brand new issue of The Animals’ Voice magazine! I’ve posted a rather powerful short excerpt, and images of the article’s first couple pages. Below that are links and further info.

I’m so so glad I can finally share this beautiful secret with the world, and hopefully brighten people’s day at least…

I ripped open the door and that unmistakable musky scent wafted out and even with high expectations my jaw dropped and my heart seemed to soar out my open mouth. Little pink noses poked up between the cages’ barred roofs in throngs. White fur shone like fresh snow and I could even make out, under the gas station’s buzzing sodium-arc streetlights, red eyes. Little pink hands pushed down other little white heads to hold themselves up for a better look at this new presence. Me. Full-body chills coursed through my body; gooseflesh rose so precipitously that I felt it happening. “Hoooly SHIT!” I couldn’t stop myself from hollering…

Jesse told me a few things. At one point as the group headed down the stairs to the animal storage building, s/he became overwhelmed by the whole thing. Toxic anxiety flooded zir system, threatening to render zir paralyzed, useless. Or even worse: a liability. S/he paused on the steps, tachycardic, nearing hyperventilation. “Oh god, I can’t do this, whathefuck wutterwedoing I can’t do this can’t do—”

One of Jesse’s partners came right up and got in his/her face confidently, no hesitation, no uncertainty, and took hold of zir arms staring into zir eyes and said, with kindness but also firm surety, “Hey, hey! Listen to me, Jess. Animal liberation!”

As if by magic, those two simple words were all it took to snap zir out of it. S/he took deep long breaths and nodded with a wan smile. “Okay. Yeah, okay, you’re right.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OR BUY THE ISSUE IN PRINT!
$10 gets you the print edition and a free digital download; if you only want the electronic version, it’s just $3 to download!

THE ANIMALS’ VOICE FACEBOOK PAGE

JAN SMITOWICZ, AUTHOR ON FACEBOOK

CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO CHECK OUT MY “BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED, WILDLY CREATIVE, UPROARIOUSLY FUNNY” PRISON MEMOIR REBEL HELL: DISABLED VEGAN GOES TO PRISON, available in paperback and e-book–along with my other published books.

PLEASE SUPPORT SOCIAL JUSTICE-BASED CREATIVE ENDEAVORS!
~Love & Liberation~
Jan Smitowicz