As of June 26, 2009 I will no longer be using this site to collect stories for my book.  I am still reviewing the many stories sent over the past two years, and I am grateful to everyone who contributed.  Thanks to these people, my understanding of noise and its effects is much richer than it was when I first started my project.

When my book is published, I will send an announcement to everyone who provided me with an email address.  Please feel free to enter your name and address below if you’d like to be on the list.  I will also use this site to provide further information about my book and any news or events connected to it.

Stories about noise, especially stories grounded in personal experience. They might pertain to any of the following:

• Conflict with a neighbor
• Conflict with an industry, local event, rowdy club, etc.
• Conflict with a person or agency who says you’re too loud
• Noisy conditions at your place of employment
• Reference to noise in something you’ve read
• Your own work in the field of noise
• The effects of noise on the clients, patients, or customers you serve

I am writing a nonfiction book about the politics and history of human noise. The book is supported by a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation and under contract with PublicAffairs.

I am a freelance writer and contributing editor to Harper’s Magazine. I am the author of five books, the most recent of which is Help: The Original Human Dilemma (HarperCollins, 2004). My work has also appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Mother Jones, The Village Voice, The Washington Post, The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2002, and The Best American Essays 2007. I live and work in northeastern Vermont.

I can’t guarantee any of the following:

• That I’ll be able to use your noise story in my book
• That you’ll ever hear back from me

I can guarantee all of the following:

• I’ll contact all the people whose stories I would like to use
• I’ll acknowledge anyone who makes a contribution to my book
• I won’t share anyone’s personal contact information with any other person or organization

For more information about noise, contact The Noise Pollution Clearinghouse at www.nonoise.org (not a sponsor of this site but an invaluable resource for this writer).