The Story Behind the Story: "Girl in Doubt"

Thanks to Fiction Southeast for inviting me to share my thoughts on writing "Girl in Doubt," one of the stories in my short story collection Girl Zoo (co-written with Aimee Parkison). You can read "Girl in Doubt" here and my process piece here. Earlier today I guest lectured in a seminar on Critical Animal Studies. I was reminded again of the weight of the word zoo, of the role humans play in capturing, detaining, and confining wild animals. Of what it means to believe that animals exist for you, instead of with you. Of the way humans forget that we, too, are animals. New footage taken of northern and southern resident orcas should be a reminder to everyone that sentient beings don't belong in captivity. Watch here. 

Andrew Trites / University of British Columbia / from The Seattle Times