From the Publisher: 'The Deaf poet is no oxymoron,' declares editor John Lee Clark in his introduction to Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology. The 95 poems by 35 Deaf American poets in this volume more than confirm his point.
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From James Nack's early metered narrative poem 'The Minstrel Boy' to the free association of Kristi Merriweather's contemporary 'It Was His Movin' Hands Be Tellin' Me,' these Deaf poets display mastery of all forms prevalent during the past two centuries. Beyond that, E. Lynn Jacobowitz's 'In Memoriam: Stephen Michael Ryan' exemplifies a form unique to Deaf American poets, the transliteration of verse originally created in American Sign Language. This anthology showcases for the first time the best works of Deaf poets throughout the nation's history-John R. Burnet, Laura C.
Redden, George M. Teegarden, Agatha Tiegel Hanson, Loy E. Golladay, Robert F. Panara, Mervin D. Garretson, Clayton Valli, Willy Conley, Raymond Luczak, Christopher Jon Heuer, Pamela Wright-Meinhardt, and many others.
Each of their poems reflects the sensibilities of their times, and the progression of their work marks the changes that deaf Americans have witnessed through the years. In 'The Mute's Lament,' John Carlin mourns the wonderful things that he cannot hear, and looks forward to heaven where 'replete with purest joys/My ears shall be unsealed, and I shall hear.' In sharp contrast, Mary Toles Peet, who benefitted from being taught by Deaf teachers, wrote 'Thoughts on Music' with an entirely different attitude. She concludes her account of the purported beauty of music with the realization that 'the music of my inward ear/Brings joy far more intense.' Clark tracks these subtle shifts in awareness through telling, brief biographies of each poet. By doing so, he reveals in Deaf American Poetry how 'the work of Deaf poets serves as a prism through which Deaf people can know themselves better and through which the rest of the world can see life in a new light.' Read more.Rating:(not yet rated)Subjects.More like this.
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. Art: Anyone could easily decorate their entire home with deaf-themed artwork. Art with American sign language (ASL) and deafness themes is readily available through vendors focusing on products for and by deaf and hard of hearing artists. Many deaf artists also run their own websites. Throughout the country, you can find exhibits of deaf artists, including painters, photographers, sculptors, and more. While some incorporate a hearing loss theme into their work, others do not and you might not even know that they cannot hear.
“The Deaf poet is no oxymoron,” declares editor John Lee Clark in his introduction to Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology. The 95 poems by 35 Deaf American poets in this volume more than confirm his point. From James Nack’s early metered narrative poem “The Minstrel Boy” to the free association of Kristi Merriweather’s contemporary “It Was His Movin’ Hands Be Tellin’ Me. This site was developed primarily to serve as a companion to the textbook, Introduction to American Deaf Culture, which I authored in 2011. There are 15 chapters in the book covering various aspects of Deaf Culture and Deaf Community such as Disability vs. Culture, Rules of Social Interactions, and Universality of the deaf experience.
Look around for art displays at local deaf community organizations and schools. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf's Dyer Arts Center in Rochester, New York has some fantastic examples of deaf art on regular display. Deaf Theatre: For years, groups have developed and produced plays with deafness and sign language on the stage.
There are professional deaf theater companies that entertain deaf and hearing audiences alike. Deaf West is just one of the notable deaf theater companies. They were so successful in the production of 'Big River,' that it made it onto Broadway.
This show included both deaf and hearing actors. You will also find a number of amateur and children's theater troupes specifically for deaf people. These are a fantastic way to get involved in your local deaf community. Books on Deafness: A number of deaf and hard of hearing people have written and published books with themes on sign language and deafness.
Several of these have become required reading in. Deaf Cinema: Deaf people have produced movies and hold their own film festivals. These often focus on a celebration of deaf culture and are a great time for the community to gather.
Poems on Deafness: Deaf people use poems to express their feelings about having a hearing loss or to describe their experiences. Some poems are online and others have been collected in books. ASL poetry is a special form of poetry that uses sign language. Deaf people have also created their own form of deaf humor that focuses on the deaf experience. Likewise, ABC stories can be told using the sign language alphabet and there are many unique idioms in sign language.
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