Many of the pieces in Volume 18.1 of Consequence focus on the power of language while addressing the consequences, realities, and experiences of war and geopolitical violence — whether in its written or spoken form. From H.R. Spencer’s poem “The Grammar of War” to Dewaine Farria’s essay “Speaking as a Veteran” to Bänoo Zan’s translation “Silent Language” to Glory Duruem’s short story “Our Unspoken Country,” which emphasizes the potency of things not said.
“As writers ourselves,” Consequence editors comment, “we certainly appreciate pieces that highlight the muscle of words, specifically how they can give shape to an ostensibly indescribable experience or help us discern and engage with convoluted realities. Of the many invaluable capabilities language possesses, its ability to help others glimpse, or even connect to, another person’s elusive experience or tangled world is possibly its greatest. Few other arenas spotlight this ability like those related to the consequences of war and geopolitical violence. . . . language, especially that which is well-crafted, has the ability to help us see the outlines and details of these oversized and often unbelievable realities.”
These details help us become more aware and, ideally, more deeply affected by these experiences. Or as Sayani De writes in “In the Same Tongue”: “Because stories need to be told for the larger collective, for the personal in larger histories, so that they can help to remember, resist, and transform.”
