Strong Deaf selected as a White Raven Outstanding International Book for Children and Young Adults

Congratulations Lynn McElfresh!  Strong Deaf has been selected as a White Raven Outstanding International Book for Children and Young Adults. The White Raven label is given to books that deserve worldwide attention because of their universal themes and/or their exceptional and often innovative artistic and literary style and design. Look for my upcoming interview with the author!

New Publication: Strong Deaf by Lynn McElfresh

Albeit a month behind, I have had contact with Lynn McElfresh, author of Can You Feel the Thunder?(1999), about her publication Strong Deaf for a little over two years now. I'm am very excited to see it published!

Strong Deaf, Lynn McElfresh  

Hardcover: 130 pages

Publisher: namelos (December 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1608981266

ISBN-13: 978-1608981267

Book Description

Jade is the only hearing member in her family. Her older sister gets to go to the school for the deaf headed by her grandfather Gilbert, but Jade feels left out. Marla thinks her little sister is a pest and a brat. When they end up on the same softball team for the summer, neither is happy about it. Jade, the smallest player on the team, is assigned to be the catcher. It looks like it’s going to be a long season. As sisters, they are often at loggerheads, but as team mates Jade and Marla have to find ways to get along. In spite of their differences, they soon discover that each has a lot to offer the other.

Deaf American Prose 1980–2010

Deaf American Prose 1980–2010, Kristen Harmon and Jennifer Nelson, Editors

From the publisher:
The First Volume in the Gallaudet Deaf Literature Series
In Deaf life, the personal narrative holds sway because most Deaf individuals recall their formative years as solitary struggles to understand and to be understood. Few deaf people in the past related their stories in written form, relying instead on a different kind of “oral” tradition, that of American Sign Language. During the last several decades, however, a burgeoning bilingual deaf experience has ignited an explosion of Deaf writing that has pushed the potential of ASL-influenced English to extraordinary creative heights. Deaf American Prose: 1980–2010 presents a diverse cross-section of stories, essays, memoirs, and novel excerpts by a remarkable cadre of Deaf writers that mines this rich, bilingual environment.
The works in Deaf American Prose frame the Deaf narrative in myriad forms: Tom Willard sends up hearing patronization in his wicked satire “How to Write Like a Hearing Reporter” Terry Galloway injects humor in “Words,” her take on the identity issues of being hard of hearing rather than deaf or hearing. Other contributors relate familiar stories about familiar trials, such as Tonya Stremlau’s account of raising twins, and Joseph Santini’s short story of the impact on Deaf and hearing in-laws of the death of a son. The conflicts are well-known and heartfelt, but with wrinkles directly derived from the Deaf perspective.
Several of the contributors expand the Deaf affect through ASL glosses and visual/spatial elements. Sara Stallard emulates ASL on paper through its syntax and glosses, and by eliminating English elements, a technique used in dialogue by Kristen Ringman and others. Deaf American Prose features the work of other well-known contemporary Deaf writers, including co-editor Kristen Harmon, Christopher Jon Heuer, Raymond Luczak, and Willy Conley. The rising Deaf writers presented here further distinguish the first volume in this new series by thinking in terms of what they can bring to English, not what English can bring to them.
Kristen Harmon is Professor of English, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.
Jennifer Nelson is Professor of English, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

Print Edition
ISBN 978-1-56368-523-1, 1-56368-523-X, 7 x 10 paperback, 320 pages
$60.00s
E-Book
ISBN 978-1-56368-524-8, 1-56368-524-8
$60.00

Outcasts and Angels The New Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature, (September 2012)

Outcasts and Angels The New Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature, Edna Edith Sayers, Editor
(September 2012)

From the publisher:

In 1976, Trent Batson and Eugene Bergman released their classic Angels and Outcasts: An Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature. In it, they featured works from the 19th and 20th centuries by well-known authors such as Charles Dickens and Eudora Welty. They also presented less-well-known deaf authors, and they prefaced each excerpt with remarks on context, societal perceptions, and the dignity due to deaf people. Since then, much has transpired, turning around the literary criticism regarding portrayals of deaf people in print. Edna Edith Sayers reflects these changes in her new collection Outcasts and Angels: The New Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature.
Sayers mines the same literary vein as the first volume with rich new results. Her anthology also introduces rare works by early masters such as Daniel Defoe. She includes three new deaf authors, Charlotte Elizabeth, Howard T. Hofsteater, and Douglas Bullard, who offer compelling evidence of the attitudes toward deaf people current in their eras. In search of commonalities and comparisons, Sayers reveals that the defining elements of deaf literary characters are fluid and subtly different beyond the predominant dueling stereotypes of preternaturally spiritual beings and thuggish troglodytes.
Outcasts and Angels demonstrates these subtle variations in writings by Ambrose Bierce, Isak Dinesen, Nadine Gordimer, and Flannery O’Connor. Stories by Juozas Grušas, Julian Barnes, and many other international authors broaden the scope of this updated inquiry into the deaf literary character. Sayers’ preface and closing essay bring any disparate parts together, completing Outcasts and Angels as a fitting, contemporary companion to the original classic collection.
Edna Edith Sayers is former Professor of English at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.
 
Print Edition
ISBN 978-1-56368-539-2, 1-56368-539-6, 7 x 10 paperback, 368 pages, references
$35.00t
E-Book
ISBN 978-1-56368-540-8, 1-56368-540-X
$35.00

Lynn McElfresh's, author of Can You Feel the Thunder?(1999), forthcoming publication Strong Deaf

I am really excited about Lynn McElfresh's, author of Can You Feel the Thunder?(1999), forthcoming publication Strong Deaf. Two years ago, almost on the exact date, the author contacted me to review her manuscript. Because I read the manuscript, I don't want to make any further comments until I see the actual book but be sure you'll read more posts from me about this book.

Strong Deaf (November 2012) by Lynn McElfresh
Publisher:  Namelos

Ages: 14 and up
Grades: 7–12
Pages: 172
Hardcover: $18.95
Softcover: $9.95
E-book: $8.95
PDF: $5.00

From the publisher:

Every Friday, we drive two and a half hours to Bradington to where my sister Marla goes to residential school for the deaf. I told Mom that when I go to Bradington, I hoped I would get to stay on the fourth floor just like Marla.

Mom looked at me like I was crazy.

”Silly,” she signed. “You no go Bradington. You not deaf.” Of course I knew I could hear, but what did that have to do with anything?

Jade is the only hearing member in her family. Her older sister gets to go to the school for the deaf headed by her grandfather Gilbert, but Jade feels left out. Marla thinks her little sister is a pest and a brat. When they end up on the same softball team for the summer, neither is happy about it. Jade, the smallest player on the team, is assigned to be the catcher. It looks like it’s going to be a long season. As sisters, they are often at loggerheads, but as team mates Jade and Marla have to find ways to get along. In spite of their differences, they soon discover that each has a lot to offer the other.

My professional crush on author Brian Selznick especially now that he is taking an intensive ASL class at Gallaudet University

Author Brian Selznick likes R-hand shaped signs such as RULES, an R-lettered word I can't recall, and SARCASTIC (huh? Yep, I think he was just on a roll naming his favorite signs by that point). He does not care for signs on or around the nose liked BORED or FLOWER. How do I know this, you ask? Brian Selznick is at Gallaudet University taking an ASL course. *Insert professional Squeal here*

When I interviewed him in January, I did so via email since he was traveling for the premiere of the movie Hugo. Yesterday was the first time I actually *met* him in person. After arranging to meet for lunch, I bumped into him that morning in the student center while he was studying with a group of ASL students. Instantly it felt like we were old friends hugging for a greeting and laughing from the start. Our lunch date, which I call it that because he IS my current professional crush, would include a juicy insider tip which he quickly noted that I could not blog about... But he didn't say I couldn't blog about not blogging about it so HA Brian Selznick! There! I am NOT telling your secret! To be fair, I told him a little something I wouldn't want him to share either plus I asked for the biggest favor ever and he said no! *gasp* Even after I told him who the girl is in the statue in front of campus **Spoiler Alert for new ASL students doing their homework... Her name is Alice ;p**

Even without promising to take me to any future Oscar red carpet events, I still like this guy! I showed him Gallaudet's infamous "coffin door" after making him climb over a small wall in 90 degree weather. I was in a dress and completely forgot I was a tenured professor and should be acting professional. Selznick looked like any other student-- Gallaudet jacket and Gallaudet hat. He only wore the hat outdoors for the picture. I would like to say that I talked him into posing Nosferatu-style in front of the coffin door because I teach a vampire course but really I just like people to pose silly for pictures. After several *cool* pictures, he fell for my charm (read that as I badgered him into it) and posed.

When I asked him why he was taking ASL classes I wondered if it had something to do with his book Wonderstruck. In fact, it did! After doing research, he has made some close friends who are Deaf and he said he really just wants to communicate with his friends (and potential new friends) using ASL. He talked about the importance of the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture... And again I would like to emphasize my professional crush. *Insert professional Squeal here* For most of our conversation, Selznick used ASL. For a writer of English and a new signer, he seems oddly comfortable using his non-native language.

Selznick is already working on another book but it is probably too soon to tell if a Deaf Character will sneak his or her way into his writing. *crosses fingers* After the success of Wonderstruck and a literal world wind adventure of Hugo the movie, he doesn't have much *time off* so for him to decide to learn ASL on his free time says something about his character; for him to come to Gallaudet for a two week intensive ASL course... Well, that reveals just a little bit more I would think.


He's fun; his books are fun; he's extremely down to earth and humble (He didn't even tell his ASL class peers he was THE Brian Selznick!). And I hope, hope, hope we'll cross paths in the future.

Nice Surprise on my First Day Back to Work!

I'm back on campus to meet the newest group of first year students for a pre-fall program and what a nice surprise to find a copy of SilentStar: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy by Bill Wise (Author) and Adam Gustavson (Illustrator) in my faculty box! I am looking forward to reading this book and interviewing the author.

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy [Hardcover]

Bill Wise (Author), Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 1, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1600604110

Book Description

William Hoy loved baseball. Growing up in the 1860s and ’70s, he dreamed of one day playing in the major leagues. A far-off fantasy for many boys, fulfilling this dream was even more of a long shot for William, who was deaf.
 

Striving to find his place in a hearing world, Hoy became a shoemaker. He took pride in his work, but baseball was still his real love. When an amateur team coach saw him playing behind the shoemaker’s shop, Hoy dazzled the coach with his hard-hitting skills. Moving from amateur clubs to the minor leagues and eventually to the majors, Hoy proved himself again and again—overcoming obstacles and becoming a star both on and off the baseball diamond.
 

Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy is a tribute to one of the most inspirational figures in baseball history. A talented player with a standout record, Hoy is a shining example that success in life should not be measured by differences but by drive and determination.

Interview with author B Roman

The Secrets of the Moon Singer by B Roman

Publisher: Lulu February 26, 2012

B Roman is an adolescent literature author who incorporates mystical and musical themes in her work. She describes The Secrets of the Moon Singer as “a metaphysical adventure series which involves a deaf teenage boy who comes to realize over time that his ‘disability’ is also his greatest gift. But this realization does not come easily - or even in the first book of the trilogy” Deaf Character David Nickerson is confronted by a series of family crises: his father's unemployment, his deafness after a serious illness and the disappearance of his sister. David begins experimenting with crystals and even conjures up the Moon Singer which takes him on a fantastic journey. In the "other world," David is able to hear. Roman writes, “My character's deafness is not just a plot device, as readers will discover if they stay with me through the many otherworldly journeys the boy makes. The stories speak to unconditional love, family loyalties, dealing with tragic loss, and experiencing unexpected miracles.” This trilogy is how Roman made her debut into young adult fiction.

SP: What made you decide to make David's character deaf or to even include a deaf character?

BR: In order to answer that, I have to go back to the beginning, and to how I was inspired to write the trilogy itself.  I don't want to get too metaphysical here, but the stories have their roots in my delving into spiritual and supernatural subjects.  I actually own a Singer crystal – shaped like a small sailboat - that inspired the Moon Singer trilogy and its first adventure, “The Crystal Clipper.”  I found this unique crystal at a crystal workshop one day – actually, it found me – which, it is said, is what crystals are preordained to do.  I would hold the crystal up and ponder it now and then, and a story began to take hold in my mind.  Originally, it was to be a children's picture book about a little boy and his magic crystal shaped like a boat that let him sail to magical places.  But then it grew in scope and little by little found its focus. 

Young David Nickerson has come by his own Singer crystal because it was meant for him; he is the one true owner of the Singer, which gives him all of his powers and manifests into the Moon Singer ship which takes him on all of his adventures. David is a hearing impaired young man – normal in every way in his “real life” – who becomes an "action hero" with extraordinary powers in worlds he never knew existed, because of his deafness:  this is an important aspect of young David's character which allows me to demonstrate how he can hear the internal cravings of his soul, understand the hearts and minds of others, and find his own individual power and strength.  Hearing people who meditate are always instructed to do so in a quiet, silent environment - "Be still, and know..."  David just has to learn how to use his natural silence for his own growth and knowledge, and so his "disability" becomes his greatest gift. But he doesn't come by this knowledge easily or quickly.  It takes the three books to solidify. 

SP: What type of research did you do for the book to make your characters realistic? 

BR: I've been a performing artist since I was a child, and in my adult years I also became a song writer and author of non-fictions books on the power of music.  It is no accident of creativity that my music career would carry over into my story writing. A strong underlying theme of The Secrets of the Moon Singer and my other children's stories concerns the power of music to heal, to represent love and truth, to create and sustain life – or to destroy it. Thus, in "The Crystal Clipper" we have Princess Saliana whose song has the gift of healing, and her sacred Rose Crystal Pendant contains the musical codes of immortality.  For David, I researched what kind of illnesses could have caused him to becomes deaf (he wasn't born that way), what types of hearing aids and other devices he could use to function normally in life, and what treatments for his deafness were available - (none of which worked for him, when they would have for someone else, and why they didn't - but that's a major part of the storyline). 

SP: Do you know any deaf people or have you learned American Sign Language? 

BR: I know a few people who have hearing impairments, but with the help of hearing aids they are able to hear quite well.  I have a close friend who is a speech therapist who uses sign language with her deaf clients, most of whom are children.  I have not learned any sign language myself, so my experience with the deaf is very limited.  In fiction, while one can take license with characters and plots, it is also important to make your stories credible and to treat the subject matter with respect. One doesn't always have to have a personal experience to write about it; for example, an author can write a detective story without having been a detective, but the author still has a responsibility to do the research required to make the detective realistic.  Although I've placed my main character, David, in far-fetched situations, I do strive to make him as credible as possible in the way that he deals with his deafness in both the real world as well as the "other world."

SP: What do you hope that readers will learn or take away from the book? 

BR: As the adventures follow David's “coming of age” transformation from a naïve and conflicted boy to a determined and purposeful young man, readers may find themselves able to examine their own lives and work through any obstacles that have been holding them back from realizing their true potential. There is a lot of family angst going on in the stories, and the characters are constantly learning how to deal with these relationships.  I also touch on topical issues such as respect for the environment, ethics (or lack thereof) in business, the misuse of power, the contrast between good and evil, and the importance of personal and Universal Truth and integrity.

As the stories developed, I hoped to reach young boys looking for a main character who triumphed heroically over his circumstances, as well as appeal to young girls who are looking for a boy who will gallantly protect and selflessly nurture them, all the while allowing girls to maintain their individuality and strength of character.  For both genders I wanted to create characters they could respect and whose virtues they would want to emulate.

I realize that teens today are attracted to pop culture that focuses on dark and violent themes, but my mind just doesn't go there in storytelling.  I hope that my stories will offer kids a balance, especially if they are just beginning to ponder ethical, spiritual and metaphysical thoughts and concepts.  Of course, I try to give them an enjoyable, suspenseful, and uplifting reading experience.  It is a trilogy of adventures written to appeal to the youth in all of us, and with a respect for language and prose that hopefully will inspire young people to read material that requires time and attention to spiritual matters. 

In contrast, I try to write very visually.  I am a lover of films, especially good films for kids (of all ages) like E.T., Free Willy, the Black Stallion, etc., that blend the fantastic with the real and where the young main characters find their courage to perform selfless acts. From the beginning, I've seen the Moon Singer trilogy as films because of the many special effects (e.g., a supernaturally-powered clipper ship made of crystal and gold that can sail through the cosmos as well as on the sea) written into the books. In fact, I invite your artistic readers to illustrate and animate my books to their heart's content; maybe we can collaborate on an illustrated version of my books, or on a video!  Any producers out there?

SP: What advice would you give to young people who are reading your books for the first time?   

BR: The Secrets of the Moon Singer books are short, and quick reads.  But, they take readers on a continuing journey through the lives of several key characters that they can relate to emotionally. Their travails, challenges, joys, and moments of insightful discovery are those that most people have encountered in their own lives, while the story environments are those of fantasy.

The main focus of the trilogy is selfless love and being of service to others.  For David, his quest is always to save a life that means more to him than his own, and in doing so he delves into questions about his life purpose and soul mission, while also dealing with very real day-to-day problems.

I'm not quite sure what age group my books are for.  I'm hoping they will bridge the generations from kids to adults.  So, I didn't write "down" to any age group.  I was a voracious reader, especially as a child, and many of the books I read went far beyond just fare for kids my age - great American plays, philosophy, psychology, poetry - so I believe even young kids can absorb sophisticated language.  I loved reading and finding new words, circling them as I read then looking them up in the dictionary and finding new nuggets of language gold.  I still do this.

SP: Since this is part of a Trilogy, can you tell us anything about the next adventure and will David be the main character?

BR: David Nickerson is the main character in all the books.  Adventure Two: "The War Chamber" has David trying to process the phenomenal experiences of Adventure One. As captain of the mystical sailing ship Moon Singer, he had saved his sister's life on the Island of Darkness, and could miraculously hear what others could not. Now, as his home town argues over how to revive a stagnant economy, David despairs that those miracles have dissipated.  He is just as deaf as before, his sister's paralysis has returned, and anguish over his mother's death is overwhelming.  At her gravesite, determined to communicate with her through his sacred crystal, he is instead transported to a strange city caught in a time warp between a hi-tech, militant past and a peaceful, simple way of life. He encounters a revered woman who becomes a surrogate mother to him and helps him understand how his deafness and his mother's karmic mission are intertwined.

Throughout all the twists and turns of plot and story, which become more sophisticated and complex with each adventure, David struggles with the "reason" for his deafness, as well as how he and his family deal with the realities of it.  Adventure Three: The Wind Rose, is into technology, Apocalyptic fears, world-wide disasters, and the power of music as a force of nature.  Ultimately, David learns he must make an extremely difficult decision:  shall he have that operation that will restore his hearing or...? Well, I won't spoil the surprise ending, for I believe it is yet to take me to places even I do not anticipate....

******************************************************************

For more information about the author or to purchase the books: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/BRoman42

Take Shelter (2011) movie with Deaf Actress

TakeShelter (2011)

Director: Jeff Nichols

Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.

Main character Curtis begins to have bad dreams and hallucinations about an impending story which turns people into zombie-like versions of themselves. Because of a family history of schizophrenia, he seeks medical help and counseling. Simultaneously, he begins rebuilding, and adding to, the storm shelter in the family’s backyard. The cost of the storm shelter is high especially for a working class family who has major medical bills coming due to their Deaf daughter’s Cochlear Implant surgery.

All members of the family use American Sign Language (ASL) and even use the term correctly. The mother signs more fluently while the father forgets signs and asks for assistance. The Deaf daughter is played by Deaf actress, Tova Stewart of Ohio. The young girl received the part after the film’s producer  reached out to the Ohio School for the Deaflooking for a young deaf female student. Tova’s parents are deaf.

Take Shelter premiered in January 2011 at the Sundance Film Festival.  It was also screened in May 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the 50th Critics' Week Grand Prix.