I'm honored to share that my essay "Legally Speaking, Rats Aren't Even Animals," winner of the 2020 Barry Lopez Nonfiction Prize, has now been published in Cutthroat, a Journal of the Arts and is now available to read online.
The issue also features a fantastic lineup of other writers, including new poetry by the current United States poet laureate Joy Harjo.
My essay recounts my experiences as a first-time rat owner, including my adoption of Vinnie, Gordo and Harry from Small Angels animal rescue and how I quickly observed their high emotional intelligence and personhood.
Next I outline the history of human/rat relations focusing on famous rat experiments that took place outside Baltimore, near where my rats were born. I use these experiments to explore the impacts of overlooking rats in animal welfare laws.
The title of the essay is a reference to America's Animal Welfare Act of 1966 which defines rats and mice as non-animals.