Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature

Interview with Wonderstruck author, Brian Selznick

2012-01-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Wonderstruck A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick

637 pp. (Middle grade; ages 9 to 12)

Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 13, 2011)

ISBN-10: 0545027896

I’m so 2011! September 2011, to be precise. I didn’t stumble upon this book myself and I wasn’t the first to announce to the world how much I actually enjoyed it. Basically, when I posted about Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck in October 2011, it was already old news. I mean, the New York Times had already reviewed it. Nevertheless, I decided that I needed to at least read it and added it to my pile of “fun” reads that never get read when you’re a professor teaching at a university in hard economic times. Wonderstruck is not light reading. I mean, the book itself weighs (pauses, goes into the bathroom scale to weigh the book) 4.5 lbs! I’ve mentioned that I’m a commuter and a 4.5 lb book is not something I want to lug about on the train. AND, while it is available for my Kindle, I actually wanted to hold this book and read it from non- e-ink. When I finally heard from Mr. Selznick (I actually had to stalk him, I mean, contact him the old fashioned way… wow, he really locked down his email address fast!) in November, it was nearing the end of the semester and I was preparing to go to London for a conference so I had to put him on hold (I know, can you believe I had the nerve to do that! I wasn’t trying to be too self-important, I just knew I couldn’t take on anything else at the moment… especially not with the focus that I would need for Wonderstruck). So, here I am at the start of the year talking about last year’s book. If you haven’t read Wonderstruck, you should. It’s a charming story with Deaf Characters. It’s visual. It includes American Sign Language. It’s a book that the masses will see and apply to real life Deaf people (i.e. that was a great deal of pressure on Mr. Selznick). Fortunately for us, he did his research and created a beautiful book that I hope to include in one of my future courses. Below is my interview with him. He’s down to Earth, incredibly cool, and I believe he is having the time of his life! He actually responded to one of my emails from Paris during the Hugo premiere. This was after being in London and meeting Prince Charles in which he wrote, “holy cow!!” See, I told you he was cool.

SP: I have my own interpretation but I'm curious if you could discuss your decisions to use words for Ben's story and pictures for Rose's.

BS: The structure of the book actually came before the plot and the story. After I finished The Invention of Hugo Cabret I was trying to figure out what to do next, and how to use what I'd learned in Hugo without repeating myself. I remembered a puppet show that a friend of mine made in which two separate stories were told, one wordlessly with Japanese Bunraku style puppets and another with only spoken language, told by a storyteller sitting on the side of the stage (this show, Hiroshima Maiden, was made by Dan Hurlin and based on a book written by my boyfriend David Serlin). The idea of two stories told simultaneously but with completely different modes intrigued me and I wondered if I could separate the words from the pictures and tell two different interlocking stories. The goal with Hugo was to tell one single narrative, with words and pictures alternating, and this new idea seemed like a logical, if difficult, next step.

Once I had this idea I had to figure out WHY I would be telling one story just with pictures. In Hugo the story is about the cinema so telling the story "like a movie" made sense (and of course I had no idea at the time that an actual movie of Hugo would ever be made, but that's another story!). But what would make sense for this new book? I then remembered a documentary I saw on PBS called Through Deaf Eyes and remembered a quote from a Deaf educator who said that the Deaf are the "people of the eye." I took this to mean that when you can't hear what you see becomes even more important, and sign language is a language that you look at to understand, so suddenly I thought it might be interesting to tell the story of a Deaf person just with pictures so we experience her story in a way that reflects how she might experience her own life. That's when my research into the Deaf community began.

The other story, the one in text, is about a boy who becomes completely deaf at age twelve. He begins his life deaf in one ear but identifies as hearing. The text in his story is sometimes reflected in the pictures in the other story, and vice versa until the two stories eventually come together at the end. Much of the story is about the difficulty of communication and finding one's place in the world and one's community, so the use of different ways of communicating to tell the stories seemed to make sense.

SP: Several of the illustrations include signs of the ASL alphabet. You mentioned in your Acknowledgements that you learned this when you were younger. Since your work on Wonderstruck, have you learned more American Sign Language?

BS: I first learned the sign language alphabet from Remy Charlip's book Handtalk, which I loved as a kid. I memorized the letters and thought of it as a kind of secret language. When I was on tour for Wonderstruck most of my presentations had sign interpreters and I asked each of them to teach me a few words. By the end of the tour I was able to sign a rudimentary welcome to the Deaf audience members in the room. Since the tour ended I've been practicing very hard to learn sign. I'm teaching myself right now, mostly by looking at websites like Signing Savvy and watching people sign to pop songs on YouTube, which is oddly helpful. My favorite is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKnQjBf8wM

Everything by this guy, Stephen Torrence, is amazing. I know that a lot of times the signers of songs on YouTube are using Signed Exact English, but I think I've heard this guy does a good job, plus even SEE is helpful for a beginning to learn vocabulary, which is basically what I'm building right now. I don't have any idea yet about ASL grammar. Once I have more of a vocabulary I'll look into actually hiring a teacher, although that's hard because I travel a lot. My cousin teaches Deaf kids so she's been helping me and I've become friends with some Deaf folks I met on tour and I've signed with them which is most helpful. Also, my boyfriend teaches with Carol Padden and Tom Humphries at UCSD. They are two of the leading Deaf scholars in the country and we are friends with them (they also helped a huge amount with Wonderstruck), but I haven't seen them since I started to learn sign. It'll be very fun to sign with them though when we get together in the new year. One thing I really have to practice though is fingerspelling. Because even though I've known the alphabet my whole life practically I find it really difficult to spell fluidly and quickly. And my receptive skills are terrible! It's much easier for me to sign myself than to understand what someone is signing to me!

SP: Would you discuss a bit of your process. Did you create Rose's story first and then Ben's story, or did the stories grow simultaneously? Did you sketch out the story or did your art and story flow organically?

BS: Once I knew I was going to have two stories, one in words and one in pictures, I began by writing BOTH stories in outline, present tense. I built the plots for both stories together and once I had the basic arc of the stories I then translated the story meant in pictures INTO pictures. The plot of each story changed a lot depending on what was happening in the other story. For instance, in the boy's story, which is all text, he's in a lightning storm. I really wanted to draw lightning, but there were no drawings in his story. So I thought, maybe I can just put some lighting in the girl's story. But why would there by lightning in her story? I decided to have the lighting appear on a movie screen in her story. But why would she go to the movie theater? I then invented a silent movie star named Lillian Mayhew for the girl to be obsessed with, and suddenly THAT became the central thing in the girl's story. And it all happened because I wanted to draw lightning.

SP: Do you have any plans for a follow-up?

BS: here won't be a direct follow up or sequel to Wonderstruck, but I'm working on my next book which will also use words and pictures in some experimental way that I haven't quite settled on yet. Each of my books are designed to stand on their own so I usually don't think about sequels.

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

BS: My goals are always very basic when I'm making a book. I want readers to like the story and care about the characters. I hope people get caught up in the emotional lives of the characters. I always write about things that are interesting and important to me (in Hugo it was the cinema, machines and Paris, in Wonderstruck it was museums, Deaf culture and New York), so if readers are intrigued by these subjects and want to follow up on their own afterwards to learn more, that would make me very happy!

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

BS: I once heard the author M.T. Anderson say that books teach you how to read them. I thought this was a really interesting thing. Once you have a book in your hands, you are holding an entire universe, and you are the only person who can bring it to life. If you don't open the cover the book will just sit there. But once you open the cover and start turning the pages, well, you could end up anywhere in the world, with all sorts of interesting, strange, dangerous, loving characters. Hugo and Wonderstruck are BIG books, over 500 pages long, but of course much of the books are pictures. Once you start turning the pages, the book will tell you what to do next. It'll ask you to think in a new way, to go places you otherwise wouldn't go, to try to make connections you otherwise wouldn't make. I try to leave space in my books for the reader to interpret the story. I don't want to tell every single thing to the reader. I want the reader to have to work a little! But "work" in a good way hopefully, not in a way that feels like work. I want people to understand that you have to read pictures the same way you read words. Each reader will interpret them slightly differently, and that's exciting. And I've built all sorts of connections in to the plot of each book, little clues and hints that reveal themselves if you read closely. So don't be afraid of diving in and discovering what's there waiting for you.

CODA author Kambri Crews, Burn Down the Ground:A Memoir (2012)

2011-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Burn Down the Ground: A Memoir by Kambri Crews
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Villard (February 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345516028
ISBN-13: 978-0345516022

Book Description
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
In this powerful, affecting, and unflinching memoir, a daughter looks back on her unconventional childhood with deaf parents in rural Texas while trying to reconcile it to her present life—one in which her father is serving a twenty-year sentence in a maximum-security prison.
As a child, Kambri Crews wished that she’d been born deaf so that she, too, could fully belong to the tight-knit Deaf community that embraced her parents. Her beautiful mother was a saint who would swiftly correct anyone’s notion that deaf equaled dumb. Her handsome father, on the other hand, was more likely to be found hanging out with the sinners. Strong, gregarious, and hardworking, he managed to turn a wild plot of land into a family homestead complete with running water and electricity. To Kambri, he was Daniel Boone, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ben Franklin, and Elvis Presley all rolled into one.

But if Kambri’s dad was Superman, then the hearing world was his kryptonite. The isolation that accompanied his deafness unlocked a fierce temper—a rage that a teenage Kambri witnessed when he attacked her mother, and that culminated fourteen years later in his conviction for another violent crime.

With a smart mix of brutal honesty and blunt humor, Kambri Crews explores her complicated bond with her father—which begins with adoration, moves to fear, and finally arrives at understanding—as she tries to forge a new connection between them while he lives behind bars. Burn Down the Ground is a brilliant portrait of living in two worlds—one hearing, the other deaf; one under the laid-back Texas sun, the other within the energetic pulse of New York City; one mired in violence, the other rife with possibility—and heralds the arrival of a captivating new voice.

Now in paperback! (October 11) The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin [Paperback] by Josh Berk

2011-10-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Now in Paperback!

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin [Paperback] by Josh Berk

Wonderstruck A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick

2011-10-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

Wonderstruck A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick

637 pp. (Middle grade; ages 9 to 12)
Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 13, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0545027896

Brian Selznick is the illustrator of "Frindle" by Andrew Clements, and the author of "The Houdini Box," winner of the 1993 Texas Bluebonnet Award.

Banjo on Alldeaf.com writes that the book "features at least two Deaf characters. Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, two Deaf scholars helped the author fine-tune the experience of the Deaf Culture to ensure that it was true to the core."
Thanks to Nancy C. for pointing out the NY Times Review A Deaf Boy’s New York Quest.

Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: In a return to the eye-popping style of his Caldecott-award winner,The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick’s latest masterpiece, Wonderstruck, is a vision of imagination and storytelling . In the first of two alternating stories, Ben is struck deaf moments after discovering a clue to his father’s identity, but undaunted, he follows the clue’s trail to the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City. Flash to Rose’s story, told simultaneously through pictures, who has also followed the trail of a loved one to the museum--only 50 years before Ben. Selnick’s beautifully detailed illustrations draw the reader inside the museum’s myriad curiosities and wonders, following Ben and Rose in their search for connection. Ultimately, their lives collide in a surprising and inspired twist that is breathtaking and life-affirming. --Seira Wilson

Scholastic also offers an educator's guide.

Interview with author Karla Oceanak Dumbstruck (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series)

2011-09-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dumbstruck (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series) by Karla Oceanak is the fourth book in an A-to-Z alphabet series which includes a vocabulary-building glossary of words starting with the letter D including words such as debacle, doofus, and defenestrate. I was a bit worried at first that the d’s would take over and the reader would miss the storyline while obsessing over all of the emphasized letters. Instead, I found myself actually relying on the *. This isn’t Karla Oceanak’s first book so I was a little surprised when she wrote that she was a bit nervous with me being “professor at Gallaudet”. She has no idea that I strike poses in the hall (with my colleagues, I might add) and make silly facial expressions to everyone. I will admit that I was a bit nervous about the title. I do pass judgment and oftentimes I am wrong. So when the author explained, “I tried hard to educate myself about deaf culture, and a teacher to deaf and hard of hearing students here in Fort Collins reviewed the manuscript and helped me make some changes”, I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy the book even if the Deaf Character was a minor character.
I read nearly half of the book on my train ride home and got starred at by fellow passengers for laughing… and maybe snorting. The main character, Aldo, is funny and weird. I can’t imagine anyone not laughing throughout. And although witty, Aldo is a typical adolescent. He makes up words and phrases and sometimes uses nouns as verbs (i.e. He sign-languaged… and, Englishy things).
Deaf Character Danny is the new kid in school and I loved that Karla Oceanak let him be just as sarcastic and devious as the hearing characters. Danny communicates through ASL, texting, and a little bit of lipreading. He uses an interpreter for his classes and some of the other characters learn sign language because of him. Danny is probably cooler than the other characters but that is because of his Justin Bieber-ish hair rather than his deafness. I will defend Aldo and say that he too is pretty cool but in a nerdy way. I say that because like his friends he plays D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). Considering I date a 42-year old Dungeon Master, Aldo is pretty awesome in my book.
I understood all the signs the author described and I liked that Danny wasn’t super nice to Aldo (i.e. calls him a loser and I think STUPID in ASL) which is perfect because it shows he's a typical adolescent!
Since I mentioned my initial concern for the title, I will point out that the use of dumbstruck is explained on page 124. It has everything to do with the plot (that I’d rather not give away) and nothing to do with Danny or his deafness. In fact, the label “deaf and dumb” is explained to be archaic and even what it originally meant (i.e. the multiple meanings of dumb).
My favorite quote is on page 84. One character Goosy explains, “Life is mostly in the doing, anyway, not in the having. Besides, not everything we do in life deserves to be on display, Aldo.” What a great lesson for young people (and old) in this age of social networking sites and total disclosure. “Most things are destined for the junk pile.” With that, Aldo focuses on what is important.

Be sure to look at the D Gallery at the back of the book and the page with "Other Handy Signs".

******Check out my interview with author Karla Oceanak and look for Dumbstruck in stores on October 1^st.***** (RIGHT: author during her middle-grade years)

SP: Aside from the Alphabetical focus on the letter D, how did you decide to include a deaf character?
KO: The Aldo Zelnick books take their theme from the title. We try to come up with a fun and evocative word for the title...then I challenge myself to create a plot that resonates with the title. The word “dumbstruck” stirred images of Aldo and his first crush, but it also made me think about what it means to be able to communicate. Introducing a deaf character helped me explore that idea.
SP: What type of research did you do for the book to make your characters realistic? Your Acknowledgments mentions that you worked with Cathy Bowles a teacher of the deaf?
KO: Cathy Bowles is a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing at a center-based program at McGraw Elementary here in our local school districit—Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colorado. I contacted Cathy, who has been a teacher for the deaf for 18 years and before that was a freelance interpreter and university-level interpreter, after I had decided to include a new deaf character in Dumbstruck. Cathy is hearing but in addition to her work, has many deaf friends and is connected with the deaf community here in Fort Collins. I always do lots of reading and research for my books, and in this case I also wanted to talk to someone who works with deaf children. It was important to me to accurately portray Danny. I didn’t want to pander to him, but I also didn’t want to make any big missteps. I observed several times in Cathy’s classroom, and I also asked Cathy lots of questions. She suggested I watch several documentaries, which I did. She was also gracious enough to review the manuscript and suggest small but important changes here and there. I want to thank her for making me feel comfortable writing a character that at first seemed a bit daunting to me.
SP: Several of the illustrations include signs and you actually explained a few in the text. Do you know any deaf people or have you learned American Sign Language?
KO: My earliest memory of ASL is from grade school. A classmate of mine was a hearing girl with two deaf parents. She taught us to sign the alphabet and made me aware of different ways of communicating. Later I studied Spanish and French, and of course I love English. I guess I’m just enamored of languages in general, including sign language (although I haven’t studied it). I don’t know any deaf people, but perhaps I will meet some as a result of this book.
SP: What do you hope that readers will learn or take away from the book?
KO: My passion is keeping kids reading. I want them to realize that reading is fun—not a school chore—so that they’ll become lifelong readers. So as with all my books, my biggest hope is that they’ll find Dumbstruck fun to read! I also hope that they’ll learn to have empathy for people who may not be like them. After all, we’re all the same inside.
SP: What advice would you give to young people who are reading your books for the first time?
KO: Reading is your ticket to whatever you want to do in life. Did you know that when you read, your brain develops new pathways and physically changes? The more you read, the better your language skills become and the better you can communicate with others. But what’s really amazing to me is that the more you read, the more developed your brain gets, and that helps you with every single thing you do in life. If you think you’re not a reader, it’s just that you haven’t yet found the right books for you. They’re out there. Keep looking, keep reading, and ask your teachers and librarians for help.
SP: Anything you would like to add....
KO: Thanks for introducing Dumbstruck to the deaf and hearing communities via your blog! Besides being a bit of a smart-aleck , Danny is quite cute...so I look forward to seeing how many girls out there, like Aldo in Dumbstruck, develop crushes of their own.

Secondary Deaf Character in The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series

2011-09-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Dumbstruck (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series) by Karla Oceanak
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Bailiwick Press (October 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1934649163

Product Description
Ten-year-old Aldo lives with his family in Colorado. He's not athletic like his older brother; he's not a rock hound like his best friend; and he is none too fond of the outdoors—but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a passion. Aldo is passionate about bacon. Back at school adjusting to life in the 5th grade, Aldo is embarrassed about his artistic abilities. He has always underplayed his creative talent at school; but when he is around his cute new art teacher he suddenly finds himself behaving strangely. He loses the ability to speak when she’s around, volunteers to skip recess so he can clean paintbrushes, and finds himself working harder than ever before in a daring attempt to win the school art contest. The humorous plot and lively drawings in this book will captivate both enthusiastic and reluctant young readers who will identify with Aldo's all-too-familiar predicaments. This fourth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter D, such as debacle, doofus, and defenestrate.

I just received a copy of this book today from the author and am looking forward to reading it. This is the fourth book in the series and will be published this October. A new secondary character named Danny is introduced. Danny is deaf. I quickly flipped through the book. Since it is written as a comic, I was able to see a few signs illustrated so I'm assuming Danny knows sign language. We'll see:) A book review and an interview with the author will be posted soon (eeek! My semester is off to a very busy start!)

Tribes Coming September 2011

2011-07-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

Tribes by Nina Raine
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Nick Hern Books (September 13, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1848421214
ISBN-13: 978-1848421219

Product Description
In Billy's family you can be as rude as you like, as possessive as you like, as critical as you like. Arguments are an expression of love, right? But Billy, who is deaf, is the only one who actually listens. When he meets Sylvia, he decides he finally wants to be heard.

Kicking Up Dirt: A True Story of Determination, Deafness, and Daring (June 2011)

2011-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kicking Up Dirt: A True Story of Determination, Deafness, and Daring by Ashley Fiolek & Caroline Ryder

Product Description
At nineteen, Ashley Fiolek is already the top female competitor in a tough men's sport: motocross, one of the most dangerous extreme sports in the world. Since going pro in late 2007, Fiolek has taken gold at the X Games, twice won the American Women's Motocross Championship, and become the first woman in American motocross history to be signed to a factory team—the highest echelon of industry backing. These remarkable achievements seem even more extraordinary because Fiolek was born profoundly deaf, a handicap that makes everyday life difficult . . . and competition on the track downright treacherous.

But Fiolek has never let her disability stand in the way of her dreams, nor has she allowed her gender to limit her career. One of the sport's most talked-about stars, she's changing the way the industry views women. Kicking Up Dirt is the remarkable true story of Ashley Fiolek's ride to greatness—the inspiring tale of a courageous young woman's determination to succeed in the face of truly challenging obstacles.

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: It Books; Reprint edition (June 7, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0061946486
ISBN-13: 978-0061946486

Just added to my Kindle for $2.99-- The Inbetweener

2011-07-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

THE INBETWEENER by AFOLAKE AKINFE

Product Description

Tima is a teenager with a disability. She is deaf and the tales in this series explores her journey of acceptance. Tima always felt that people regarded being deaf as a lesser disability. Hm, ……, What did they know!! The irony is that Tima is deaf, but also perfectly oral. Therein lies the confusion for those around her. Yes. Tima is a in-betweener.

Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: AFOLAKE O AKINFE; 1 edition (June 13, 2011)

Just added to my Kindle for .99-- Interpreter for the Deaf

2011-07-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

Interpreter for the Dead, by David Lee Martin

Product Description
Master thief Michael Dane lands in jail after being snared by the FBI. During his stint he learns his deaf father has died, and he is the sole inheritor of land worth millions outside Boulder, Colorado.

Released on bail, he returns to the home he swore he'd never go back to. Michael Dane soon discovers his father's death was no accident and finds he now has two choices: dig through the broken pieces of an abusive past to solve his father's murder or become a fugitive.

Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: David L. Martin (2011)

This is an adult novel that may be appropriate for mature teen readers.

New YA Book with a Signing Deaf Character-- out in 5 Days!

2011-04-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's important to know that I'm not dead just because I haven't posted on my blog since... eeek, January? Really? Yikes. It has been an extremely busy semester. I have two books that I need to write blurbs about and an author interview waiting and...and...there are three weeks left to this semester and everyone is under a great deal of pressure!

Speaking of pressure, the same can be said for this author who in 5 days will have her book released to the masses. I haven't read the book yet but it looks pretty interesting. She has already published one novel, BREAK, which was included on the ALA's 2010 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. Hannah (the author... I can call her that because YA authors are cool like that!) wrote me and said that the main character's youngest brother is Deaf and uses "ASL" with his family members. Hannah also happen to mention that she took some ASL classes at Gallaudet. As soon as I read the book, I'll interview her and find out all of her secrets. For now, check out the author's AMAZON page and look for her book soon.

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (April 19, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1442407514

Product Description

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

On the Odd Hours

2011-01-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

On the Odd Hours (Louvre Collection), Eric Liberge
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 71 pages
Publisher: ComicsLit (April 2010)
ISBN-10: 1561635774

Bastien is deaf and uses sign language to communicate.
From Booklist
Like Nicolas Crecy’s Glacial Period (2007) and Marc-Antoine Mathieu’s The Museum Vaults (2008), the third Louvre-sponsored graphic novel is a fantasy, though set in the present, not the future. A guard accosts burly young Bastien—head shaved except for a forelock and goatee—eating within the hallowed gallery. Conveying that he is deaf, Bastien scribbles a note explaining he has an appointment there. Humiliated, he stomps off before his story’s fully checked. But a wizened Chinese man signs to him. The old man, a guard himself and also deaf, is the person Bastien had to meet all along. He expects Bastien to succeed him in watching over the souls of the artworks, which escape canvas, stone, and metal during the odd hours of deep night. Despite misgivings and his girlfriend’s overbearing caretaking, Bastien decides the job’s the perfect fit for him. Virtuosically rendered by Liberge, who merges elegant clear-line figuration, expressionistic pastel coloration, and in the odd-hours sequences, superimposition effects, Bastien’s story powerfully expresses the frustrations of deep hearing impairment and the irrepressible life of great art. --Ray Olson

Broken Voices

2011-01-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

I just came across this book today and look forward to reading it. Be sure to visit the author's website.

Broken Voices, Winona Rasheed

Reading level: Young Adult

Paperback: 68 pages
Publisher: New Line Press (June 23, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1892851326

Main character Ella uses sign language and speaks to communicate
Product Description
Moving from one city to another as a freshmen student attending a new high school has its qualms. However, the situation becomes even more difficult and intense when the new student has a secret that she tries to hide from her classmates. 13-year-old Ella Rose from Savannah Georgia appears to be normal at one glance, until she speaks or tries to communicate. Unlike everyone else at Manchester High School in Washington DC, Ella Rose Abbot is different, and it will take more than the standard school uniform to make her feel that she fits in and belongs with the rest of the students, despite her secret. However, as Ella finds out, some situations are not easily hidden, turning one small bad situation into a mountain of chaotic problems as you try to hide the obvious. Broken Voices is an encouraging story that takes you inside a different world, the world of the handicapped and people with broken voices and impaired hearing. Editorial Review: "Ella Rose Abbot begins her first day of high school full of self-doubt and then triumphs over the day. Ella, a deaf girl, signs, writes, and speaks with "a broken voice," as it turns out, very beautifully. "Broken Voices" is a story that will lift you up and make you feel better about the world." --Kris Harpster

FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB interview with Deaf Character author ANTONY JOHN

2010-11-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Five Flavors of Dumb (TODAY November 11, 2010), Antony John Reading level: Ages 12 & Up
Publisher: Dial

This semester I’m teaching an overload schedule. Between my course load, my other duties as a faculty member, and buying (or rather building) a house, writing that this semester has been hectic would be an understatement. Today there was an Open House at Gallaudet University. In Fictional Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature World, I’m pretty sure Antony John’s main character, Piper from Five Flavors of Dumb was there.
When I first wrote Antony John in December 2008 about his novel, he responded, "Incidentally, the narrator's motivation for managing her high school rock band is that she plans to attend Gallaudet and her parents have just blown her entire college fund. I guess this means you'd be her professor!"
I can’t wait to teach Piper. She’s a little bit snarky (let me just tell you how pleased I am that Antony John even used that term in his novel). She isn’t that over-the-top sarcastic that you find in some novels for teens but she has just enough teen angst to make her believable. In fact, having a Deaf Character (Piper is majorly Hard-of-Hearing with hearing aids that desperately need to be replaced because she has had them forever!) as the manager of a rock band actually makes a great deal of sense, especially this semester. Gallaudet’s New Signers program has grown. My first year student courses include students one might assume would be at Gallaudet—Culturally Deaf individuals who attended schools for the Deaf. My classes also include numerous “signing” deaf students who attended mainstream programs, and now several deaf students who attended oral programs. College is a time of major transitions and watching these New Signers navigate their experiences at Gallaudet is awe-inspiring.
Piper, however, is already fluent in sign language. Her mother is a CODA. She has a younger brother, Finn, who can sign fluently although he’s a bit embarrassed to do so in public. Piper’s father has never bothered to learn the language. As a Senior in high school, Piper is already preparing to attend Gallaudet University (presumably in Fall 2011) with the savings her Deaf grandparents left her while she too prepares for the changes ahead. Unfortunately, she’s already dealing with changes at home. There’s her new baby sister Grace who is also Deaf. When Piper’s parents decide that a Cochlear Implant is the best thing for Grace, Piper is left feeling very much alone and missing her late grandparents who “would have never let that happen” (44). Piper also had to deal with the changes of her best friend and only person who ever “got” her, Marissa moving away. While they hoped to video chat nightly on their computers, this stopped when Marissa’s camera on her laptop stopped working (32). There’s her friend, Ed, who is the fun-loving, chess-playing, informed-about-Deaf-Culture, super geek friend who ends up joining Piper’s biggest change and her last hope of earning enough money to attend Gallaudet after her parents blow her money on… well, you’ll just have to read the book—the band DUMB! Piper will tell you that “for the record, [she] wasn’t around the day they decided to become Dumb” (1) but she is the band’s main hope of a lasting, and hopefully financial future.
Needless to say, I’m very excited to introduce you to Piper… and of course, there is the man who created her Antony John. Read my interview with him below!
******************************************************************************************

SP: What was your inspiration for Piper?
AJ: You know the saying: “Write what you know”? Well, it’s not really the best advice, to be honest. See, I used to be a professional musician, so I figured I’d write a book about music. But there are lots of YA books about music and rock bands already. Plus, the joy of writing isn’t really rehashing what you already know, but getting inside the head of someone you most definitely do NOT know, and hearing music through her ears. So I asked my wife for advice, and the first thing she said was: “Piper’s deaf.”
As soon as she said it, I got crazy excited. I just knew this was the book I had to write. Music has always been integral to my life, something that affects me deeply, and I couldn’t resist the chance to explore it from another perspective entirely. I knew of professional musicians like percussionist Evelyn Glennie and rapper Sean Forbes who are deaf, but I wasn’t completely aware of how they heard/felt music, and the particular challenges they faced. Piper allowed me to explore all that.

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

AJ: Remember that “crazy excited” feeling I just mentioned? Yeah, well, that wore off pretty quickly when I started doing research. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I knew next to nothing about deafness, and had no idea how complicated it is, both from a physiological and a social perspective. But I still knew I had to write the book, so . . .

I began by talking to audiologists about the various causes of deafness, the technology involved in hearing aids, how a cochlear implant works, etc. Then there were movies and documentaries and books and YA novels about deafness and the experience of growing up deaf.
But above all, I enlisted the help of a couple of deaf readers—Tadd Simmons and Valerie Bu—who critiqued the book in an early draft. I asked them to take issue with everything that didn’t ring true, and they took me at my word. I’m enormously grateful to them for contributing some of the details that make the book feel real to me.
I’d heard of Gallaudet University before I began writing. Since Piper is a really smart student, I wanted the dream of attending Gallaudet to be the thing that helps her endure high school. When her parents raid her college fund, the dream is put in jeopardy, and the rest of the book is set in motion.
Incidentally, the situation depicted in the book—the cessation of deaf programs in Piper’s school—is actually quite real. It happened to a local school as I was leaving Seattle in 2008. It affected a lot of families.

SP: Have you learned American Sign Language?

AJ: No. I attended an ASL class, and watched DVDs and studied books, but I only know a very few signs. I’d love to sign as fluently as Piper and her mom and brother do, but for the purposes of the book, the more important issue was for me to empathize with Piper’s father and Ed as they attempt to learn ASL. I wanted to know what signing felt like, physically, and how self-conscious hearing people become during their first faltering attempts to sign.

Fortunately, I was welcomed along to the ASL class at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, where the students were really open to talking about the experience of learning ASL.

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

AJ: I was determined that FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB would not be an issue book; partly because I wasn’t interested in writing such a book, and also because I’m not the right person to do it. I’ve done enough research to know how little I really know about deafness.

That being said, I think there’s real value to a book featuring a protagonist (especially a narrator) who faces challenges that many readers will never experience. The questions I’ve received from readers of the Advanced Copy have really rammed home to me how little most people understand deafness. If this book helps to clarify things—even just a little—then so much the better.
In a more general sense, the main thing I’d like readers (especially teen readers) to take away from the book is that communication is key. Everyone in the band has issues saying what they mean. (Even Josh, the egotistical lead singer doesn’t tell things like they are.) Only when they all start talking and listening do they overcome these issues and start to gel.
I am constantly amazed at how useless adults are at such a basic skill as communication. (I include myself here, for the record.) So I really wanted to send the message: say what you think; be direct; be confident; and respect others for doing the same.

SP: What advice would you give to young people who are reading your books for the first time?
AJ: Although you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB is the exception. The book is supposed to be funny, and chaotic, and full of rock music. All the same, more than one reviewer has likened it to Sarah Dessen’s novels, and I think that’s because I really wanted readers to care about the characters beyond their roles as band members.
I admit it: I’m a sucker for true love, happy endings, and a bit of tear-jerking every now and again. Those are the books I love, and that’s the book I set out to write. I hope I’ve succeeded!
Now, a warning: there are no vampires, werewolves, or gratuitous violence in DUMB. It is not part of an eight-book series, and no one has a magic power. Unless being seriously cool is a magic power, in which case Piper, the main character, is truly magical.
Thanks so much for having me along, Sharon. And please tell your readers that I’d love to get feedback from anyone who has read the book. Here’s my contact info:http://www.antonyjohn.net/ antony[at]antonyjohn[dot]net

New Deaf Character Book for November

2010-10-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

New Book: Return of the Lion People by Michael Milone

2010-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Return of the Lion People by Michael Milone
ISBN: 978-1-57128-563-8
Readability Level: 7th Grade
Recommended Ages: 12-18+
Subject/Genre: fiction / prehistory

The Deaf Character is introduced in the second chapter.

Arena Press announces The Return of the Lion People, the second book in the Nasha series.

The Wolf Clan faces a terrifying enemy in the second installation of Michael Milone’s Nasha series. The Lion People, a marauding clan that had disappeared for a generation, returned and continued their violent ways. Despite the valiant efforts of defenders, the warriors of the Lion People kidnap many of the Wolf Clan’s women and children. Given their almost impenetrable lair, the Lion People have little fear of a rescue attempt. Moreover, as a peaceful tribe, the Wolf People have little chance against such a formidable enemy.

Available at bookstores and online through amazon.com and other distributors, Lion People shows the contrast between a hunter-gatherer clan and a warrior clan in the same region. “Humans have adapted in many ways,” says Dr. Michael Milone, a research psychologist. “Our family tree has many branches, from peaceful clans who spent most of their time developing survival skills to aggressive groups that preyed on others.”

Some new characters are included in this sequel, including a remarkably resilient and capable deaf woman and her two daughters. In addition, the blind storyteller, Checo, shows a surprisingly contemporary ability that young readers will enjoy learning about.

“It has long been assumed that ancient humans simply abandoned children with disabilities or they perished from natural events. I find this difficult to accept because humans 15,000 years ago were so much like us today,” admits Milone. “The notion of abandoning a child would be impossible for most of us, and I have no doubt that many disabled young people survived to adulthood and contributed to the society in which they lived.”

As was true in Nasha: The First Dog, the wolves are not harmed in Lion People, and they contribute in a unique way to the climax. Some of the clan members are not so lucky and die while attempting to defend the village. “I wanted to introduce young readers to the practice of treating the dead with respect, a practice that is as old as humans themselves. I agree with the British statesman William Gladstone that a society can be measured by the manner in which it treats its dead, and I think young readers will appreciate not only the ceremonial burial, but also the discussion that follows.”

The focus of this work is more on the humans than the wolves, a departure from the first book in the series. “Although the wolves play an important role in the story, it is more about how the members of the Wolf Clan interact with one another and other clans as well as respond to an enormous threat from the Lion People. A high level of action is maintained throughout the book, and more of the discoveries of humans are introduced. As was true with the first book, the underlying message is that humans fifteen thousand years ago were intelligent, persevering, and caring people. Our human journey is a remarkable story, and I hope that young readers will feel a sense of pride in what our ancestors accomplished.”

The lives of humans have been enriched for a thousand generations because of our association with dogs, and nowhere is the genesis of this relationship told more eloquently than in the first book in the series, Nasha: The First Dog. A determined girl adopts an abandoned wolf pup. This simple act of kindness changes the life of her clan. Nasha, as she names the wolf, is the catalyst for some of the discoveries that the members of the clan make, discoveries that in the millennia to come will form the foundation of civilization.

Michael Milone, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized research psychologist and award-winning educational writer who began his career as a teacher in general and special education. He earned a Ph. D. in 1978 from The Ohio State University, holds a Master of Arts degree from Gallaudet University, and is fluent in American Sign Language. He lives in New Mexico with his wife, Sheri, and a houseful of dogs and cats. He has completed more than thirty marathons and two Ironman races, although he confesses that his knees are reluctant to continue with such madness. Dr. Milone is available for interviews and select personal appearances. He may be reached at 505-867-0276 or MMilone@aol.com.

Arena Press is an imprint of Academic Therapy Publications. For more information about both companies, please visit our Web site at academictherapy.com. For more information about this book, visit nashathefirstdog.com.

Click Here to purchase book through the publisher's website

New Book: Secret Signs by T.J. Waters (November 2010)

2010-08-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Secret Signs by T.J. Waters
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (November 30, 2010)

SYNOPSIS:
Amy Kellen has a new job as a sign language interpreter for All Hands Video Relay Service (VRS), enabling routine telephone calls between the deaf and hearing communities. When a political strategist dies during a video call Amy discovers she was not an observer, but rather the unwitting trigger of a political assassination. Can she save herself, her daughter, and her code of silence when the assassins come for her?

New comic book 8 Ways to be Deaf and interview with Deaf Author Adrean Clark

2010-07-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am VERY excited about this new comic book 8 Ways to be Deaf by Adrean Clark. The author/artist describes 8 Ways to be Deaf as "the story of a gas station attendant who meets a Deaf woman and takes extraordinary measures to win her. His only problem -- he's his own worst enemy". And, it is FUNNY! If you know me, I laugh a great deal but usually at myself... rarely do I laugh out loud when reading anything. Half way through this comic, I almost stopped to email Adrean because it was that funny. That being said, I am thrilled to introduce readers, young and old, to this story of a hearing guy Paul who goes through numerous attempts to win the heart of Deaf Character Linda. And not to give away too much of the plot but the ASL instructor Ms. Peterson and the interpreter are both hysterical... but maybe that's just because that's how I felt when I learned ASL. I believe this comic is appropriate for middle school up based on content and reading level; however, it will resonate with anyone who has tried to win the affection of another.

Another exciting thing about 8 Ways to be Deaf is that you can buy it online through an eBook download for as cheap as $1.99; however, if you'd rather hold the comic in your hand (and not just on your iPad), a print edition will be available in August.
****************Read my interview with Adrean Clark below**************
SP: How did you become a comic book author?
AC: Becoming a comic author didn't happen overnight. The story of 8 Ways to be Deaf started in January of this year - I had been making comics for quite a while and was tired of being too afraid to try something bigger. So I took the plunge and announced on my blog that I would be doing a full comic book and posting pages 5 days a week. It took several months but as you can see, we survived it. This technique probably isn't for everyone -- I've been working for a long time on my craft. There's still a lot more work left for me to do with improving my skills, but I enjoy learning and telling stories as I go along.
SP: What inspired you to write 8 Ways to be Deaf? Do you know anyone like Paul? Or perhaps, have you experienced what Linda experienced?
AC: 8 Ways to be Deaf actually started as an orphan title. My DeafBlind husband and I own Clerc Scar, a publishing company, and 8 Ways to be Deaf was a potential title for one of our books. Even after it was rejected it had too much promise to be abandoned and the story of a bumbling hearing man trying to be Deaf came to mind. Comic ideas can come in strange ways!
I came to ASL and Deaf Culture later in my childhood. I can remember wanting very badly to fit in with my new Deaf friends after transferring to the Central North Carolina School for the Deaf in eighth grade. I wanted ASL to drip from my awkward hands, so I could measure up to them. It took a long time before I felt confident in my signing skills. I can identify with Paul in that way.
On the other side of the counter, I've also been accosted by well-meaning hearing people. Those encounters tend to be awkward and ones I try to escape as quickly as possible. Linda probably has more courage than I do, returning to the same gas station as part of her morning routine!SP: On your website, you write, "My goal with comics is to make our community’s experiences accessible to the mainstream — visual art is powerful!" What do you hope that readers will learn or take away from the comic books?
AC: My husband John is also a writer (author of Deaf American Poetry at GU Press), and he says he keeps no expectations for the reader. I agree, but I do hope readers come away with an idea of how it feels on both sides of the gas-station counter. I hope that chuckling at Paul's misadventures will help hearing people see that approaching Deaf people with a respect for their culture and language is important, no matter what mistakes are made. The point is to keep trying and improving. Who knows what that will bring?
SP: What advice would you give to young people who are reading your comics or creating their own for the first time?
AC: My advice for young aspiring artists is to keep drawing. Making comics is hard work, and if it's something you truly enjoy and feel energized by -- you will work through all the frustrations and joys it brings. There's a saying that for every awesome drawing there's 10,000 lousy drawings. It's not so hard if you had fun doing it all.
School won't teach you that, it comes from within yourself. Think of classes as one resource out of many for your goal, and take advantage of that. Don't be afraid to keep learning in as many ways as you can - through books, experienced pros, and so on. This applies to any career, not just comics.SP: Anything you would like to add?
AC: 8 Ways to be Deaf is not my only book. I also have another book, The Census Taker and Other Deaf Humor. It's actually all text with no funny pictures, but a good read, I hope! Both 8 Ways and The Census Taker are available at http://8ways.adreanaline.com and in the Apple iBookstore. (Please do leave a review, I appreciate all feedback!)
Some other Deaf cartoonists you all might enjoy are Matt Daigle, Shawn Richardson, Maureen Klusza, Kendra Harness, Dan McClintock, and Paul Guo. Their work appears in SIGNews and in the Deaf Cartoonists Showcase book at my website. http://www.adreanaline.com/blog/archive/free-comic-book-day/

Interview with Josh Berk, author of my new favorite book, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

2010-07-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

It took me forever to pick up this book. In May, I mentioned that I knew I was behind because this book was published in February! I'll be honest, I was hesitant to read Josh Berk's book because although I had seen here and there (Facebook status updates, posts from peers, etc) that it was a GREAT book, there was always a mention or two that there were errors about deafness. No one really elaborated on that point but I always read the comments as one that I would not fall head over heels for considering, um, I write a Deaf Character blog. Plus, the word Hamburger in the title didn't interest me as a vegetarian. I know, I know... that is ridiculous but I'm trying to explain why it took me so long to get to this book.

On July 1, I admitted that I had a new professional crush (and maybe a slight crush on the man because I actually think Josh Berk and I would be friends... considering he is a self-proclaimed 'weirdo'). Even more than my crush on author-man Josh Berk is my BIG FAT CRUSH on Deaf Character Will Halpin! In fact, Berk's book is one of my new favorites.

So let me tackle as few of the misconceptions (I did tell the author that I was going to need to address some of the complaints from Deaf readers about mistakes in the book.

There is no past tense in ASL (41). I guess it depends on what you mean by past tense... Will seems to believe that everything happens in the present. That's pretty 'adolescent' of him because after all, young adults live in the NOW; however, as an English professor in Deaf Education, there is a past tense.
"[A teacher] flips the lights on and off, a weird move that is presumably supposed to make us calm down" (57). Every Deaf Education classroom I've been in flicks the lights. Since Will has been at a residential school for the Deaf, he should know this... but he is a sarcastic character and I'm not sure if my students have ever 'calmed down' per se when I've done that. In fact, they usually don't even pay attention [Note to my students: You KNOW who I'm talking about... insert evil eye]
Will's use of his interpreter (126). It's really the interpreters out there who would have a problem with the interpreter's (character Melody) response. Will is a teen so he's going to flirt.

Here's my argument 1)Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is filled with errors... and it's still a Classic! I think we need to overlook some errors because the book is THAT good... plus, in my interview with Josh Berk, he explains his research. He asked Deaf people.. and one Deaf person's response isn't universal. There are variations in experience; and, 2) Will is a young adult and he's our narrator. He honestly might not know.

There are so many aspects of the book that I like. I don't want to give it away but some characters know fingerspelling and someone has a Deaf relative and knows ASL (but that's all I can write without giving a way a plot point). I could go on and on.
*************Just buy the book! And, read my interview with the very funny and cool Josh Berk below***********

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 9, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0375856994
ISBN-13: 978-0375856990

SP: On your website, you wrote that you had a dream about a kid reading lips on a school bus and that was your inspiration for the book. How did you decide to include a deaf character?

JB: Yes, it literally came from a dream! I just had a short, spooky dream about a kid reading lips on a school bus. It seemed like if he were deaf, and the spookiness came from a mystery, this could be an interesting character and plot to build a book around. I woke up inspired. The idea to write from the point of view of a deaf character just seemed compelling to me as a writerly challenge... Actually before this book I did also write a (never-published, never-even-completed) short story about a deaf guy in a strip club. It's probably a good thing that wasn't published! Anyway, I think that as a writer (probably just as a person) the idea of communication is very interesting to me, and especially the challenges/differences in communication among people. I'm also drawn to outsider stories and I thought that writing as a deaf teenager in a mainstream high school would allow me to say some of the things I had to say about high school and life.

SP: What type of research did you do for the book to make your characters realistic? Your acknowledgments mentions this slightly, would you elaborate about the blog and discussion boards you used?

JB: Of course, after the original idea of "hey it would be neat to write from the point of view of a deaf person," I realized that I had to do a lot of research! I knew nothing going in, but I'm a librarian by day and I like research. I jumped in and I found the Deaf world fascinating. Like many hearing people, I was painfully clueless about what it's like to use sign language, what the issues are in the Deaf culture, and what reality is like as a deaf person. I ran to the library shelves and read a ton of stuff from memoirs to more academic studies. One of the books I read is by one of your Gallaudet colleagues -- Gina Oliva. Her book, Alone in the Mainstream: A Deaf Woman Remembers Public School, (Oliva) taught me a lot. I know that a lot of the stories in that book are from a while ago and that many changes and improvements in the mainstream education experience have happened since then, but I still learned a lot about the feelings Will might have been experiencing through Gina's book. I also got a sense of some of the particular challenges to being a deaf student in a mainstream school. Another book I remember reading is "Reading Between the Lips: A Totally Deaf Man Makes it in the Mainstream" by Lew Golan.

To learn more about the day-to-day life of a modern deaf person, I spent a lot of time reading the message boards on AllDeaf (www.alldeaf.com). I forget how I became aware of the site -- I think I just stumbled across it. It was a really amazing resource for me -- I felt like I was sneaking into a secret club! I took lots of notes and drew little details and big picture concerns from the people I stalked on there. (I call it "stalking," but you know in the friendly, non-creepy way.) I also found a blog that's not updated anymore called Beethoven's Ears (www.beethovensears.com). It was the blog of a deaf librarian and I wasn't afraid to write to her because, you know, librarians are always helpful! We corresponded by e-mail for a little while and I had her read parts of the manuscript that I was unsure about. There was also some blog about Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature that I looked at sometimes :)

Then once the book was totally complete I had another deaf reader look over the whole thing and he pointed out some errors I had made about how an interpreter works as well as some details about CI that I got wrong. Of course, there are a few errors that made their way into the final pages, and it really bugs me that I wasn't perfect, but most readers have been rather kind. Thankfully :)

SP: You noted that you began researching Deaf Culture. Do you know any deaf people or have you learned American Sign Language? You explain several signs very well throughout the book. It's challenging to write a book around lipreading. I'm sure you've read the statistics about how much can actually be "read" and how Deaf people often miss out on much of the conversation. You sold me when you used "(something, something)". Would you explain your decision to do this? I think it's brilliant considering the acknowledgment that lipreading is challenging is rarely noted in books with deaf characters.

JB: I had a deaf friend when I was very about ten years old. (Yes, he was rather hefty, but that was about all I took from him for Will. I swear!) We lost touch over the years and I didn't actually know any deaf people when I started writing. Since then I've met more than a few! To teach myself a bit of sign language while writing, I mainly used The "ASL Browser" from Michigan State University (http://aslbrowser.commtechlab.msu.edu/browser.htm). When I was in the very early stages of writing the book I coincidentally saw some students at my library using this site (mainly to teach themselves funny and/or dirty words) so I made note of the site name, then went home and did the same :) Then I added it to my bookmarks. I used it often while writing the book and found it fun as a writer to include poetic description of sign language into the text. I wish I could say that I actually learned to sign, but I really just learned to fake it! Learning for real is still on my to-do list.

I actually read a lot of conflicting information on lipreading. Some sources claimed it was next to impossible to understand what was being said solely by lipreading. But some books like Lew Golan's indicated it was possible to catch most everything. Lew was late-deafened, so that made his story different than Will's, but every author is allowed a bit of poetic license, right? I hope so. The conclusion I reached was that lipreading was possible, yet difficult, inconsistent, and tiring. These were challenges as a writer, but challenges are great fodder for a novel! I enjoyed writing the difficulties Will faced and the clever ways he had to come up with to understand what was being said and to communicate with his classmates, teachers, etc.

For the sake of the story I described Will and Ebony as exceptionally good at lipreading, and they of course have a knack for catching all the important parts (clues and stuff) but I thought it would be honest and interesting to include the words "something something something" at times to show that Will is not getting every single word. My sources led me to believe that no one can lipread every word without context so I tried to be honest to that. I wondered if including "something something" instead of the actual words being spoken the middle of dialogue would be off-putting to readers, but I thought it would help hearing people understand a bit of what it's like...

Oh! Another bit of research I did was to read Read My Lips, another teen novel starring a deaf character who reads lips which I know you're aware of. There are some good scenes where the main character misses an important word or two and after reading that I felt like maybe I was on the right track with what I was doing with Will. Then I was lucky enough to get to chat with the author -- Teri Brown (Click link for my July 2008 interview with Teri Brown) She is a hearing person like me, but she has close family members who are deaf and deep ties to the Deaf community. We had a nice phone chat while I was working on revising the book and she was nice enough to talk me through some issues I was confused about. She is very sweet and was a great help to me.

SP: What do you hope that readers will learn or take away from the book? (For me, I think page 234 when Will states, "I push through the crowd. I am not a ghost" defined the character)

JB: There are a lot of young people who feel less-than-worthy or downright invisible for one reason or another. Will's story is rooted in his experience as a deaf teenager, and I hope deaf readers find someone to relate to and I hope hearing readers come away with a bit of understanding of the Deaf world. That said, I also hope that Will's story is somewhat universal. I know I felt invisible for a period of my adolescence. I spent a lot of time trying to fit in with people I didn't fit in with because I was, um, weird. I didn't find happiness until I let go of that concern and embraced myself, found some great other weirdoes. That's when life got fun. So, yes, I'm largely inspired by the idea of writing fun, funny, and exciting books that make people laugh and are fun to read, but the deeper theme is that no one is worthless. You might feel weird for any number of reasons, but that's cool. You're cool. Be cool with it. ((Left: adorable prom picture of himself with his then girlfriend/ now wife that I mentioned when I first looked at his website))

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

JB: I feel like I'm terrible at giving advice! But I'll say this: I think the key to happiness in life whoever you are is being cool with who you are, finding a few like-minded goofballs to befriends with, and not worrying too much about what the rest of the world has to say. To quote that sage Will Halpin: "I immediately find myself laughing until tears-- literal tears of chubby, wet joy-- run from my eyes. A beautiful moment. Is there anything more sublime than two friends sharing a laugh at the absurdly weird and dangerous world?"*

*Yes, quoting your own book is as much fun as you'd think it would be ;)

SP: Anything you would like to add?

JB: I'd just like to say thank you so much for having me, for your kind words, for your insightful and wonderful questions, and just generally for writing your blog! It's a great service for readers and I'm honored to be on it. I'd also like to invite your readers who have read my book to drop me a line through any of the places listed here: http://www.joshberkbooks.com/contact.html -- Don't be shy! I'm really not a stalker.

My big fat crush on Josh Berk and his Deaf Character Will Halpin

2010-07-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk and I have to admit that it is one of my new FAVORITES! It is rare to have the Deaf Character as the main character and to also have the story told from his point of view. Even more impressive is that this is Berk’s first novel! Trust me, you're going to adore his character Will Halpin! The book is a little bit Hardy Boys... a little bit dark comedy.... and 100% snarky teen! I love, love, love it!

NTID Technology and Deaf Education Symposium

2010-06-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Blogging: an Effective Tool for Academic Writing

Blogging an effective tool for academic writing

View more documents from Sharon Pajka.

Deaf issue of m/c - a journal of media and culture

2010-06-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

The “Deaf” issue of m/c [M/C Journal, Vol. 13, No. 3 (2010)] is now available online. M/C Journal was founded (as "M/C - A Journal of Media and Culture") in 1998 as a place of public intellectualism analysing and critiquing the meeting of media and culture. You may be interested in my contribution Representations of Deafness and Deaf People in Young Adult Fiction.

Miriam Nathan Lerner contributed Narrative Function of Deafness and Deaf Characters in Film. Miriam's documentary, The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox is a must see! Check out my interview with her in 2007!

Other pieces include:
EDITORIAL: A Deaf Knowingness - Donna McDonald, Liz Ferrier
The Triton - Sandra Hoopman
FEATURE: Body Language - Jessica White
Becoming Deaf - Karen McQuigg
Journey of a Deaf-Blind Woman - Christy Reid
Fluid Identities: A Journey of Terminology - Michael Uniacke
Interpreters in Our Midst - Breda Carty
Hart Crane’s Speaking Bodies: New Perspectives on Modernism and Deafness - Rebecca Sánchez
Do Androids Dream of Electric Speech? The Construction of Cochlear Implant Identity on American Television and the “New Deaf Cyborg” - Pamela Kincheloe
Marginalising the Mainstream: A Signed Performance of The Miracle Worker Places Deaf Issues Centre-Stage - Caroline Heim
Looking across the Hearing Line?: Exploring Young Deaf People’s Use of Web 2.0 - Nicole Matthews
The Politics and Practice of Voice: Representing American Sign Language on the Screen in Two Recent Television Crime Dramas - Jennifer Rayman

DAREDEVIL/ECHO: VISION QUEST (PREMIERE HARDCOVER) IN STORES: September 29, 2010

2010-06-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to go on and on about this... because I always do and you know I love this character (Echo in Daredevil) and artist David Mack (as in MAD PROFESSIONAL CRUSH). But here it is!
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4521-9
Release Date: September 29, 2010
Source: Marvel.com

DAREDEVIL/ECHO: VISION QUEST (PREMIERE HARDCOVER)

COVER BY: David Mack
WRITER: David Mack
PENCILS: David Mack
THE STORY:
Maya Lopez, dubbed Echo by the press, is a young deaf woman capable of replicating any action she sees — including an individual’s fighting style. She once nearly took down Daredevil, believing him to be the one who killed her father. After learning that it was actually Wilson Fisk, her legal guardian, who was responsible, she shot him and left New York in an attempt to discover herself. Now, with her perceptions completely altered, can she make sense of the world? Echo embarks on a Native American vision quest to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Written and illustrated by acclaimed Kabuki creator David Mack. Combining innovative storytelling, painting techniques and page design, Mack has won nearly every major comic-industry award, including the prestigious Eisner Award for Best Painter, and garnered praise from such luminaries as Jim Steranko and The Washington Times. Collecting DAREDEVIL #51-55. Rated T+ …$19.99

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

2010-05-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Across the nation, universities are announcing their 2010 Common Reading selection. Many of them have selected The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. Gallaudet University is no exception. Skloot's book has made its way into national and local papers, has become a best seller, and has library patrons waiting in haste!

At Gallaudet University, on February 24, 2010 as part of her national book tour, Skloot recounted the story of the late Henrietta Lacks, a woman scientists are familiar with based only on her cells since they were the first "immortal" human cells grown in culture. The visit was an emotional one for the author, who learned that in the 1950s, Gallaudet housed a school for black deaf students. Henrietta Lacks's children, some of whom were deaf and hard of hearing, lived in Baltimore during that time, yet the family was never aware of the school or a similar one in Baltimore. Instead, the children barely learned how to read and write after attending public schools that never accommodated their needs.
Gallaudet University's Denison House, a new student housing project that places a faculty member and graduate student with undergraduate students, will use The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as the centerpiece of its bioethics theme during the coming year.

While this isn't a traditional selection for my blog, it's a fascinating story that involves deaf individuals. I will post more about this during the year once the author visits campus.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Crown; 1 edition edition (February 2, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1400052173
ISBN-13: 978-1400052172

My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter

2010-05-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0758229208
ISBN-13: 978-0758229205

Product Description
A proudly deaf artist in Philadelphia, Lacey Gears is in a relationship with a wonderful man and rarely thinks about her childhood in a home for disabled orphans. That is, until Lacey receives a letter that begins, 'You have a sister. A twin to be exact'. Learning that her identical, hearing twin, Monica, experienced the normal childhood she was denied resurrects all of Lacey's grief, and she angrily sets out to find Monica and her parents. But the truth is far from simple. And for every one of Lacey's questions that's answered, others are raised, more baffling and profound. "My Sister's Voice" is a beautifully written novel about sisterhood, love, and the stories we cling to until real life comes crashing in.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

2010-05-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know! I'm behind! This book was published in February and I'm *just* now getting around to posting it here and I haven't even read it! But that doesn't mean I didn't know about it... especially since many of you kind readers hounded me about it:) Writing that it's been a hard year would be an understatement.... and since this isn't a tell-all blog, I'll just keep my excuses to myself and hold my head in shame (or at least in a book for the remainder of the summer).

Without reading the book, I can tell you why I want to read it.... one, the author includes an adorable prom picture of himself with his then girlfriend/ now wife. Later, they would be in a punk band together (okay, that's really two things); three, the author admits on his website that he did a little research. He writes, "I began to research Deaf culture and found it fascinating!" Immediately I'm wondering what kind of research.... I've already sent him an email so hopefully we'll find out (and if he reads this post-- please respond! hint hint), and four, on his website he wrote, "So I decided that I would write a mystery -- something dark and full of ghosts and murder -- using the big party and deaf narrator and the coal mining setting". I like all that is dark; I like ghosts and murder; you all know I like deaf characters, especially narrators; and, my father grew up in the coal mining community of Wilkes-Barre, PA (my grandfather was a miner) about an hour from where Mr. Berk was born.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 9, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0375856994
ISBN-13: 978-0375856990

About the Book:
Being a hefty, deaf newcomer almost makes Will Halpin the least popular guy at Coaler High. But when he befriends the only guy less popular than him, the dork-namic duo has the smarts and guts to figure out who knocked off the star quarterback. Will can’t hear what’s going on, but he’s a great observer. So, who did it? And why does that guy talk to his fingers? And will the beautiful girl ever notice him? (Okay, so Will’s interested in more than just murder . . .)

Those who prefer their heroes to be not-so-usual and with a side of wiseguy will gobble up this witty, geeks-rule debut.

To Be Released in November!

2010-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Five Flavors of Dumb (This title will be released on November 11, 2010), Antony John Reading level: Ages 12 & Up
Publisher: Dial

THE CHALLENGE: Piper has one month to get a paying gig for Dumb—the hottest new rock band in school.
THE DEAL: If she does it, she'll become manager of the band and get her share of the profits, which she desperately needs since her parents raided her college fund.
THE CATCH: Managing one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl who is ready to beat her up. And doing it all when she's deaf. With growing self-confidence, an unexpected romance, and a new understanding of her family's decision to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, Piper just may discover her own inner rock star.

When I wrote Antony John about his book, Five Flavors of Dumb in December 2008, he responded, "Incidentally, the narrator's motivation for managing her high school rock band is that she plans to attend Gallaudet and her parents have just blown her entire college fund. I guess this means you'd be her professor!" I just heard back from him and I can't wait to read his book and do an interview:) I'll keep you posted!

Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature Online Class at Gallaudet University

2010-03-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

For more information on enrollment and the class, visit Gallaudet University's website

ENG 295- Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature (3)
5/17/10-7/9/10
Online

Eng295 Pajka

View more presentations from Sharon Pajka-West.

Wisconsin Statewide Professional Conference

2010-03-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

How To Deaf Characters

View more presentations from Sharon Pajka-West.

Book Analysis

View more documents from Sharon Pajka-West.

Sequel to Meg Burden's NORTHLANDER

2010-01-31T12:45:00.000-08:00

In June 2008 I had the pleasure of interviewing Meg Burden about her book Northlander. Since that time, Ms. Burden's book has received many notable awards including "Book of the Year, YA Fiction" by ForeWord Magazine and "Notable YA Fiction" by the International Reading Association.
I'm very excited to read this new selection in the Tales of the Borderlands. Deaf Character, Finn, apparently has a much larger part in the sequel. The book will be published in April but I should receive an advance reader from the publisher any day now. I'll let you know what I think!

The King Commands (Tales of the Borderlands) by Meg Burden
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Brown Barn Books (April 12, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0979882419
ISBN-13: 978-0979882418

Product Description
In this eagerly awaited sequel to NORTHLANDER, THE KING COMMANDS: Tales of the Borderlands Book Two, Ellin Fisher, now a Healer, must choose between her love for the young Northlander king and her duty to her own people, the Southlings, who are feared and hated in the North.

From the Publisher
The Northlands are in turmoil, divided by those who support King Alaric's decrees welcoming the Southlings and their magic, and those who will stop at nothing to send them back to the Southland where they belong. But the Southland, too, is being torn apart as the Southlings with mental gifts and healing magic are hunted by the mysterious Guardians, captured and never heard from again.

As the legendary peace of the Southland crumbles and the throne of the Northlands is challenged, Ellin Fisher, the powerful young Southling who befriended the Northlands royalty, must make a terrible choice. Is it her destiny to fight for equality in the Northlands, or to embrace her calling as a Healer and help other True Southlings escape from the Guardians who killed her family? In the midst of this, while the home she's chosen and the land she left behind both stand poised on the brink of civil war, Ellin must choose where her heart lies, as well. She loves King Alaric, but will Princess Nathalia, another newcomer to the Northlands, stand in the way?

Loyalty and romance, secrets and destinies, threaten to tear Ellin and her newfound family in the Northlands apart, especially when a loved one betrays her and old enemies become new friends. Only one thing is certain: the Borderlands will never be the same again.

BRINGING UP SOPHIE by Linda Kurtz Kingsley

2010-01-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

BRINGING UP SOPHIE by Linda Kurtz Kingsley

Mike and Pete are once again working together on a project! Mike, who is deaf, and his family are raising Sophie who will one day become a service dog for someone with a disability. Again, Pete and Mike learn to communicate and work together using signs and speech. 24 signs to learn and a puppy to enjoy!

In October 2008, I interviewed author Linda Kurtz Kingsley about her book, Signs of Jays. Here is a sequel, Bringing Up Sophie. The story concerns two friends, one Deaf character who attended a public school mainstreaming program, and his hearing friend. Both help raise a service pup that goes to school and later to a person with a disability. The book is beautifully illustrated in water colors and includes 24 new ASL signs.

To purchase this book, visit http://www.jasonandnordic.com/

Echo- Deaf, Biracial & Multilingual

2009-12-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

Straight from David Mack's page....

March 2010 Marvel Solicitations

Below are solicitations for two David Mack-related Marvel projects that will debut in March 2010:

Daredevil/Echo: Parts of a Hole Premiere HC
Written by DAVID MACK, penciled by JOE QUESADA, cover by JOE QUESADA
She is Echo. Though seemingly kindred souls, their secret identities are very much at odds. Maya seeks out her father's killer, a man that Kingpin fingers as Daredevil. Can Matt Murdock clear his name before his new love becomes his executioner? Acclaimed writer/painter David Mack and artist Joe Quesada weave a tale of dangerous liaisons and forbidden romance that will change the Man Without Fear forever! CollectingDAREDEVIL #9-12.
184 pages, $24.99.
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Previews Product Code: JAN100661
Source: Marvel.com

New Avengers Vol. 5 Hardcover
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, penciled by MICHAEL GAYDOS, DAVID MACK, JIM CHEUNG & BILLY TAN, cover by ALEKSI BRICLOT
Who can you trust? Now that the shape-shifting Skrulls' plot to infiltrate Earth has begun, that question has a clear answer: Trust no one! Explore the dramatic turmoil of the Avengers roster as the slow-burning Skrull menace ratchets up and finally explodes in their faces. Featuring Luke Cage, Echo, Wolverine, Spider-Woman and other NEW AVENGERS favorites. Learn the shocking answers to these burning questions: has Captain America truly returned to again lead the Avengers? What were the Skrulls able to learn from the captive Illuminati? How did Spider-Woman and the Skrulls survive House of M? And whose side will the super-powered criminals of the Marvel Universe take as the Skrull invasion decimates New York City? These vivid stories of paranoia and suspense are brought to you by writer Brian Michael Bendis and a dream team of comics brightest art talents - including Michael Gaydos, David Mack, Jim Cheung and Billy Tan. Collecting NEW AVENGERS #38-47.
256 pages, $29.99
Release Date: June 2, 2010 (per DiamondComics.com)
Previews Product Code: JAN100649
Source: ComicBookResourcs.com

Shameless Self Promotion

2009-11-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

http://www1.ncte.org/proposals/annual101/speakers/?pid=2160

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased to announce that Sharon Pajka-West will be speaking at the 2009 NCTE Annual Convention.

Pajka-West, of Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, will be presenting during the roundtable session, "Comics, Contacts, and Conflicts: Graphic Novels In the Classroom." An excerpt from the description of this session in the Convention Program reads:

Practicing English teachers and teacher educators share experiences working with young people-adolescents and pre-service ELA teachers-as they make powerful text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections vis contact and conflict with comics and graphic novels.

The session will be held from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM on Friday, November 20, 2009.

Each year, the NCTE Annual Convention draws thousands of K-12 teachers, college faculty, administrators, and other educational professionals from around the world. They gather to hear award-winning speakers, attend idea-packed sessions, share best practices, participate in workshops, and test the latest teaching materials. The 2009 NCTE Annual Convention will be held November 19-22, in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information, or to register for the Convention, visit http://www.ncte.org/annual.

Understanding Diversity in Comics: A Look at Marvel Comics' Echo- Multilingual, Biracial and Deaf

View more presentations from Sharon Pajka-West.

Gallaudet's writer-in-residence Myron Uhlberg's presentation

2009-10-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Writer-in-residence Myron Uhlberg presented today, or rather told three dynamic stories, about his childhood and his Deaf parents to the Gallaudet University community this afternoon in Elstad Auditorium. Uhlberg, although I think I can call my friend Myron, began with a story about how his parents always considered him such a strange kid. He explained that to be like his father whom he so admired (although I shouldn't use the past tense here because it is clear that everything he does is still to earn the respect of his father and mother whom have both passed) he put bubble gum in his ears as a young boy to make himself deaf.

While his first story was humorous, the second story about his boxing performance had the audience rolling. Lastly, Myron recounted how his father, a printer by trade, would make printer's hats for him. Young Myron, and I would argue the adult Myron too, so loved these hats that he would often beg him mother to allow him to sleep in them.

While I could go on and on about how much I adore Myron Uhlberg (I do! This professional crush tops them all-- move over Josh Swiller and David Mack... okay, I'm still crushing on all of you), my favorite part of his personality is how he connects with our Gallaudet students. When I first had the idea to bring him to campus, I knew how fascinating I found Myron once he started storytelling, but I wasn't sure if a gentleman in his 70's would be able to capture the attentions of 18-year-old freshmen. During his February visit, he captured the hearts of so many. Today's presentation was no exception. He made us laugh and cry! His final message to our students was for them to go write their own stories, "It isn't hard. You write a story from your heart... a true story for you!"

Videos to come!!!

New in Young Adult

2009-10-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ricky's Adventures by Rick S. Decker
Reading level: Young Adult
Perfect Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Tate Publishing (October 13, 2009)

Main Character Ricky is deaf.
Product Description
I guess we never can tell about some of the things we do in life and how they will affect other people later on...I guess that's why it's so important to always try to do the right thing in life, huh, Ricky? Ricky lives life in 'the middle.' In the middle of his brothers. In the middle of the city and country life. And in the middle of every new adventure just waiting right around the corner. Beginning with the discovery of the artesian well near his parents' home to unearthing pirate booty and the secret family history that has been buried for decades, follow Ricky down the hot-sand sidewalks of 1969 Florida to the best places 'in all the world'. With the help of his camouflaged G.I. Joe survival watch, Ricky will transport you to a different time; a time with Peggy's Popcorn, the 'cowboy life' in Texas, road trips, and bicycling to new places in hopes of discovering the unknown. Learn about life in the middle during Ricky's Adventures!

CODA Author Myron Uhlberg returns to Gallaudet University

2009-10-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

It may not come as a surprise to anyone that Gallaudet University's First Year Experience program annual Common Reading book selection is Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg. After a presentation on April 14 by Common Reading Committee members, community members expressed positive feedback for both Mr. Uhlberg’s new publication as well as his February campus visit which was well-received by students, faculty and staff. Uhlberg is a critically acclaimed award-winning author of several children's picture books (Dad, Jackie & Me, The Printer) that often include accounts of his Deaf parents.

The committee felt that Hands of My Father provides a framework for community members to interact while creating a sense of community in and outside the classroom, and looks forward to the numerous intellectual discussions that will derive from this memoir.

This week, Gallaudet's Daily Digest posted:
Presentation by writer-in-residence Myron Uhlberg
Myron Uhlberg will speak about his groundbreaking book, Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love, on Thursday, October 22 at 12:30 p.m. in Elstad Auditorium. This public presentation is the culmination of Mr. Uhlberg's three-week stay at Gallaudet University as a writer-in-residence.

Mr. Uhlberg's book is the Common Reading selection for all first-year students for the 2009-2010 academic year. He is currently visiting all GSR 101 classes, and other classes by invitation, and will also meet Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the Deaf students and teachers.

http://aaweb.gallaudet.edu/Daily_Digest/EventXite_-_Announcements/Public_Presentation_by_Writer-in-Residence_Myron_Uhlberg_.html

Jacqueline Woodson interview about her book, Feathers, and Deaf Culture

2009-09-10T17:17:00.001-07:00

This video is not captioned, for click here for a transcript.

Read my interview with Jacqueline Woodson!

Sifting Dirt by Willy Conley

2009-08-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

SIFTING DIRT by Willy Conley

Thanks to Adreanaline for posting a comment about this story.

Ashley Fiolek featured in Might Motoxers

2009-08-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Mighty Motoxers (X-Moves) by Michael Sandler

Library Binding: 24 pages

Publisher: Bearport Publishing (August 2009)

Includes artciles on the history of Motorcross and includes one article about Ashley Fiolek who races as a pro on the Women's Motorcross Association circuit.

Minor Deaf Charactes in Spring Break

2009-08-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Spring Break with Paddy O'Rourke by Patti B. Pruitt

Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing (July 16, 2009)

Deaf Characters: There is a brief scene where a few Deaf boys who use Sign Language nearly drown and are saved.

Product Description
Spring Break with Paddy O'Rourke is the second installment of the surprising adventures of young Jason and the leprechaun he has inherited from his grandfather.

Now almost nine years old, Jason looks forward to his much-anticipated spring break in Destin with his family and friends but their plans are threatened by the appearance of the bratty cousins and a series of other near catastrophes. While Paddy continues to revel in impish pranks at the expense of Jason's pride, he and his unusual friends are also close at hand to smooth the way for his young friend when the need arises.

Readers of all ages will enjoy the spirited comedy that develops in Spring Break with Paddy O'Rourke as we come to better know Ms. Pruitt's engaging characters in this rollicking sequel to Meeting Paddy O'Rourke.

Interview with Deaf Playwright Willy Conley

2009-07-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Playwright and Gallaudet University Professor Willy Conley feature deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing characters created
from the Deaf perspective in his latest work, "Vignettes of the Deaf Character": And Other Plays by Willy Conley Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (May 15, 2009). His work has also been recently featured in Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology, John Lee Clark, Editor (March 2009).

Because I often believe I am the luckiest girl in the world, I actually met Willy Conley one morning on the Gallaudet shuttle while heading to work. He recognized me from my blog (giggles... how dorky for THE Willy Conley to recognize ME!). I get overly excited when I receive emails from famous people so you can only imagine my excitement sitting next to him. As I always do, I asked for an interview.
************************ Check out my interview with Willy Conley below************************
SPW: Will you explain when you started writing poetry and plays? I read that you noticed how most of the NTID plays were written by hearing people and that was how you became inspired... I'd love for you to elaborate on that.

WC: I believe I wrote my first poem while in college – a sappy, Hallmark-type of poem that I wrote for my mother (who can hear) to send to her on Mother’s Day. It wasn’t until after I took a course in poetry that I began to learn about reading and writing “real” poetry. Real poetry for me involved poems that stimulated my eyes, imagination, and feelings more than my ears. Sure, if I wrote something that rhymed, followed a traditional poetic formula, and sounded cool to the ears, fine by me. But, if I wrote something that was visually or emotionally stunning or provocative, that was a real poem for me.

My first play was written in parts on a big Greyhound bus after I graduated college and was on tour as an actor for three years with the National Theatre of the Deaf. We performed in plays typically written by famous hearing playwrights who originally thought of hearing characters talking in English. If you think that’s an absurd situation for a group of mostly Deaf actors who communicate in American Sign Language – you are right!

As a Deaf actor, it felt artificial to act in a role originally written for a hearing actor from the hearing point of view, no matter how much adaptation was done to get me to fit the mold. After traveling around the U.S. performing in over 500 shows to mostly hearing audiences, I decided it was time to get formal training in playwriting. I then went to graduate school at Boston University to study playwriting. Lucky for me, my teacher, Derek Walcott, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is a poet and a playwright. I wanted to be able to write plays with deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing characters created from the Deaf perspective. I loved the opportunity to create art with my own characters born out of little sparks of imagination and found pieces of everyday life – this is every playwright’s dream, deaf or hearing. To have that live, moving, three-dimensional art put on stage before an audience would double the thrill. I imagined opportunities for more Deaf theatre companies and university theatres to produce works by Deaf playwrights, which in turn would create more jobs for deaf and hard of hearing people.

SPW: How did you first become published?

WC: In college, I took a course called, Deaf Characters in Literature and Film from the phenomenal, well-known Deaf professor, Dr. Robert F. Panara (you can read about his awesome life and teaching career in:“Teaching from the Heart and Soul”). He taught us how to look for the “Deaf Experience” in the books we read and the films we watched. We would closely examine each to see if a “Deaf Experience” was real or fake to us. Then, he asked us to write an essay about a specific Deaf Experience that we had in our lives. Since I was a Biomedical Photography major at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), I wrote a story about my experience as a medical photography intern called to photograph open-heart surgery, and trying to lipread doctors and nurses who were wearing face masks. Panara gave me an “A” for the paper and encouraged me to submit it to RIT’s literary magazine, Symposium. I followed his advice and notched my very first piece of published writing. It is a very special feeling to see a part of your imagination and/or real-life experience become concrete and real on the pages of a book. It is sort of what the famous diarist once wrote: “We write to taste life twice.”

SPW: I’ve admired Panara’s work for some time now. Tell me what type of research do you do for your plays and your poetry?

WC: Generally, my research involves studying my own feelings about life as well as people from all walks of life -- paying close attention to how they behave, dress, communicate; figuring out what they like or what bothers them. If there is something technical that I need to learn more about -- like the history of bomb shelters -- I go to libraries to read up on them, take notes, and make photocopies, if necessary.

SPW: What do you hope that readers will learn or take away from your work?

WC: That the experience, or imagined experience, that you write about is uniquely yours, whether you’re D/deaf, hard-of-hearing, hearing, male, female, straight, gay, black, white, green or purple – no one can take that away from you.

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

WC: Try to imagine that you are looking at photographs, or watching a movie clip.
********************************************************************************* For more information about Willy Conley or to buy his book, follow this link that describes the book and receive a promotional code to receive 20% off. http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/enewsletters/enewsletter118.html

Documentary about ASL Poetry, "The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox"

2009-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

I met Miriam in 2007 when she put together an evening of film to close the CAID Conference. As a movie buff, she shared her insights into the representations of deaf people in film. I introduced myself to her at the end of the presentation knowing that we had much in common and we have been Facebook friends ever since.
When I interviewed her, she said that she was working on a working on a special project making a documentary about ASL Poetry. Her documentary, The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox, includes archival footage of performances and video interviews of deaf poets who experimented with poetic devices in American Sign Language in the 1980's. While some may be witness to great events in history, Miriam was an active participant as a voice interpreter/artist.
I had the privilege of seeing The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox at the CAID Conference last Wednesday, June 24. While it wasn't a packed auditorium and the viewing was in direct competition with a Washington Nationals vs. Boston Red Sox Baseball game (as well as exhausted conference participants), the crowd included those who truly valued and appreciated this type of rich documentary.
Lerner explained, "the first part of the film deals with the older style of Deaf poets mostly translating written English works into sign, and then with growing pride in the deaf community and ASL, more experimentation with ASL generated pieces. The second half segues into a time in Rochester, NY, the mid-1980s when Deaf and Hearing poets in this community were privy to each others' works because of the local interpreters' attempts to translate and voice the ASL for the hearing audiences, and translate and sign the spoken poetry, the two communities crossed into each others' realms in a fusion that was unprecedented."
Some of the highlighted poets include Eric Malzkuhn (Malz), Robert Panara, Bernard Bragg, Ella Mae Lentz, Dorothy Miles, Patrick Graybill, Peter Cook, and Debbie Rennie.
When it goes on sale, I highly recommend that you purchase a copy! I laughed, cried, and on more than one occasion put my hand to my heart.

For a taste of ASL poetry, below is the poem, "NEED" created by Deaf poet Peter Cook and hearing poet, Kenny Lerner, Miriam's husband.

Secondary Hard of Hearing Character in Certain Girls

2009-06-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Certain Girls: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (April 7, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0743294262

Reading Level: Mature Teens & Adults

Thanks to Julie for recommending this one! "One of the two points of view is a 12-year-old girl who is hard of hearing. She wears hearing aids. Doesn’t sign." Julie also cautions that while this may be a potential cross-over, it is "definitely an adult book" It is a sequel to the book Good in Bed.

From Publishers Weekly
Following the story collection The Guy Not Taken, Weiner turns in a hilarious sequel to her 2001 bestselling first novel, Good in Bed, revisiting the memorable and feisty Candace Cannie Shapiro. Flashing forward 13 years, the novel follows Cannie as she navigates the adolescent rebellion of her about-to-be bat mitzvahed daughter, Joy, and juggles her writing career; her relationship with her physician husband, Peter Krushelevansky; her ongoing weight struggles; and the occasional impasse with Joy's biological father, Bruce Guberman. Joy, whose premature birth resulted in her wearing hearing aids, has her own amusing take on her mother's overinvolvement in her life as the novel, with some contrivance, alternates perspectives. As her bat mitzvah approaches, Joy tries to make contact with her long absent maternal grandfather and seeks more time with Bruce. In addition, unbeknownst to Joy, Peter has expressed a desire to have a baby with Cannie, which means looking for a surrogate mother. Throughout, Weiner offers her signature snappy observations: (good looks function as a get-out-of-everything-free card) and spot-on insights into human nature, with a few twists thrown in for good measure. She expends some energy getting readers up to speed on Good, but readers already involved with Cannie will enjoy this, despite Joy's equally strong voice.

Secondary Deaf Character in Children's Book, Julia's Words

2009-06-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

Julia's Words by Judith L. Roth
Publisher: Herald Press (April 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0836194179

Main character, Christina meets Julia, a deaf girl, at a campground. As she spends time with Julia, Christina gets a glimpse of what it might be like to be deaf. She also finds out there’s more than one way to communicate, and that friendship is deeper than sound. For children ages 6-10 and their families. Teachers and others who work with deaf children will find this book educational.

Julia is the secondary character who is deaf and uses sign language to communicate.

To read an interview with Judith L. Roth about Julia’s Words, click here.

CODA Characters and other Resources for Deaf Parents with Hearing Children

2009-06-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tom Bull for providing this list of RESOURCES FOR DEAF PARENTS WITH HEARING CHILDREN fact sheet. Also, I have a few other books with CODA characters....

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski

Hardcover: 576 pages

Publisher: Ecco (September 19, 2008)

Edgar uses sign language to communicate. Louise Wilkes is a CODA and communicates using the Sign Language that her Deaf parents taught her. This character works with Deaf children and hearing children of Deaf parents. There is another secondary Deaf Character whom Edgar meets when he is four. The character communicates through Sign Language but also speaks. Edgar notes that he sounds funny (p. 49).

At Face Value (October 2008) by Emily Franklin

Paperback: 264 pages

Publisher: Flux

Linus', a staff writer at the Word, has a father who is deaf. Linus teaches main character Cyrie sign language and the two use it throughout the book.

I encourage you to check out my Interview with Jean Ferris, author of the award-winning Of Sound Mind.

This book is written by a CODA author......

The Silent Time by Paul Rowe (September 2007)

Publisher: Killick Press.

The deaf character, Dulcie attends the Halifax School for the Deaf in the early 1900s, similar to the author's late mother, Elizabeth Rowe. (This is one of my all-time favorite books!)

Resourcesfordeafparentswithhearingchildren62009

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Deaf Teen Races on Women's Motorcross circuit

2009-06-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ashley Fiolek, 18, races as a pro on the Women's Motorcross Association circuit. In the research issue of ESPN The Magazine, you'll find an article about this young Deaf women who is the only woman rider to be featured on the cover of a major U.S. motocross magazine and when Honda Red Bull Racing signed her to its team in January, she became the first American woman with a factory ride.

Hard of Hearing Character in the movie 'Knowing'

2009-06-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

In 1959, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsules contents and the girls cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Calebs father, professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the documents chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son.

Caleb Koestler is hard of hearing and wears a hearing aid. Viewers are told that "sounds get all mixed up for him but the hearing aid helps" and that he is "fluent in sign language". Throughout the movie, the father and son sign that they will be "together forever".
http://www.knowing-themovie.com/

Deaf Superhero Wanted

2009-06-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Whether it is to help students improve their reading skills or it is me discussing my favorite superhero, I have posted again and again about Deaf Characters in Comics and Graphic Novels. Thanks to Tracy from Gallaudet for passing this Call for Submissions on to me.

Call for Submissions

If you created the ultimate deaf superhero, what powers would you add? Who or what would the hero be up against? Here's the chance to send in your own comic book pages!

We are assembling an anthology of deaf superheroes. Anyone can submit from 1 to 10 pages of art, in greyscale only. Dimensions are 6 inches by 9 inches (traditional comic book size) and 300 dpi. File formats .gif and .jpg accepted. Collaborations between writers and artists are welcome. The anthology is for all ages, so no extreme imagery or dialogue, please.

DEADLINE IS 1 JULY 2009

Visit http://www.44comics.com for more information!

Deaf Character in Summer Camp Adventure

2009-05-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Summer Camp Adventure (Keystone Stables) by Marsha Hubler
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (October 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0310717957

Product Description
For the summer, Skye and her school friend Chad work at special needs Camp Penn’s Woods. Skye runs into a brick wall when she tries to teach Jonathan Martin, a young deaf boy, how to ride Buddy western style, but Jonathan insists on riding him English. When Jonathan and Buddy disappear into the mountains, Skye and Chad lead the rescue to find him.

From the Back Cover
For the summer, Skye and her friend Chad work as teen counselors at special needs Camp Penn’s Woods. Jonathan Martin, one of the campers who is deaf, causes havoc during his riding lessons because he insists on riding English style when Skye tries to teach him western. Skye, who knows American Sign Language, tries to communicate with him, but he is stubborn and refuses her help and friendship. When Jonathan and his assigned mount Buddy, a black gelding, disappear into the hills, Skye and Chad have to lead the rescue to find him.

Marlee Matlin Booksigning

2009-05-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

Marlee Matlin will sign copies of her new autobiography, I'll Scream Later, on Saturday, May 16, noon, at Borders, 1801 K Street, NW, Washington, D.C. To read an excerpt of her book, click here.

Note: While Matlin has published books for young adults, this is intended for adults and mature teens.

I'll Scream Later
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment; First Edition edition (April 14, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1439102856

Product Description
Critically acclaimed and award-winning actress Marlee Matlin reveals the illuminating, moving, and often surprising story of how she defied all expectations to become one of the most prolific and beloved actresses of our time.
Marlee Matlin entered our lives as the deaf pupil turned custodian audiences fell in love with in Children of a Lesser God, a role for which she became the youngest woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar. More than twenty years after her stunning big screen debut, the Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actress is an inspirational force of nature -- a mother, an activist, and a role model for millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the world.
In I'll Scream Later, Marlee takes readers on the frank and touching journey of her life, from the frightening loss of her hearing at eighteen months old to the highs and lows of Hollywood, her battles with addiction, and the unexpected challenges of being thrust into the spotlight as an emissary for the deaf community. She speaks candidly for the first time about the troubles of her youth, the passionate and tumultuous two-year relationship with Oscar winner William Hurt that dovetailed with a stint in rehab, and her subsequent romances with heartthrobs like Rob Lowe, Richard Dean Anderson, and David E. Kelley.
Though she became famous at the age of twenty-one, Marlee struggled all her life to connect with people, fighting against anyone who tried to hold her back. Her own mother often hid behind their communication barrier, and Marlee turned to drugs before she even started high school. However, she found in acting -- with the encouragement of her mentor, Henry Winkler -- a discipline, a drive, and a talent for understanding the human condition that belied her age and her inability to hear. By the time Hollywood embraced her, she had almost no formal training, a fact that caused many other deaf actors to give her the cold shoulder, even as she was looked upon as a spokesperson for their community.
She has played memorable roles on wildly popular television shows such as Seinfeld, The West Wing, and The L Word, danced a show-stopping cha-cha-cha on Dancing with the Stars, and now, with uncompromising honesty and humor, Marlee shares the story of her life -- an enduring tale that is an unforgettable lesson in following your dreams.

New in Paperback- The Sign for Drowning

2009-05-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Sign for Drowning: A Novel by Rachel Stolzman is being released in paperback this June!
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Trumpeter (June 9, 2009) ISBN-10: 1590307208

Also, check out the author's website for news, bio, and contact information. You can also read my interview with the author last May!

From Publishers Weekly
As Stolzman's character-driven debut opens, eight-year-old Anna Levy and her mother witness a horrific scene: the small boat that her five-year-old sister, Megan, is on with their father capsizes close to shore, and Megan drowns. In the immediate aftermath, Anna blames herself for not plunging into the water and joining the frantic search. She begins an imaginary, one-sided conversation in sign language with Megan that leads the grown-up Anna to adopt a deaf five-year-old (whom she mistakenly renames "Adrea" by incorrectly signing "Andrea") and to a career working with deaf children. As Anna and Adrea grow into their lives together, watchful Anna is forced to confront ghosts from her past and to learn to stop living life as a spectator. Stolzman gives Anna a poetic soul ("words of sympathy had exhausted my tolerance for words themselves"), and a carefully constructed redemption that unfolds with vivid observational detail.

New Publication- Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA

2009-05-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Longshot:The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA by Lance Allred

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: HarperOne (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061718580

Book Description
Lance Allred was probably the last person you'd expect to make it in professional sports. Not only did he grow up on a polygamist commune in Montana, he struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. If those hurdles to the NBA don't seem large enough, Lance is also deaf.
Self-deprecating, witty, and wholly original, Longshot is the unlikely story of an unlikely athlete, who despite these factors and a lot of setbacks along the way, finally realized his dream of playing in the NBA, becoming the first legally deaf player in the league.
Lance refused to let others' expectations hinder his dreams, and his refreshing sense of humor about his disability allowed him to face these setbacks without giving up. From his childhood on the commune where he was "Mormon royalty" (his grandfather was prophet Rulon Allred of the fundamentalist sect) to his first time picking up a basketball (eighth grade), to his clumsy efforts to build his skills while growing into his 6' 11" frame, Longshot is a riveting account of a young man finding his purpose and letting the love of the game drive him toward his ultimate goal.
Going inside the competitive world of collegiate basketball and the strange experience of playing professionally in Europe, with paychecks that never arrive and a knee injury Lance's team didn't want to cover, Longshot recounts the moment when Lance hit rock bottom. When he came back to the United States for surgery, Lance was prepared to let go of his basketball dreams and become a high school history teacher like his dad.
But luckily he had an agent who didn't want to see Lance's dream die, and who found him a deal with the Idaho Stampede, an NBA Development League team in Boise. Although it was paltry pay, it was the last resort. And Lance slowly began to be noticed.
Revealing the resilient heart of a young man who truly believes that it's not about failure or success but about being willing to try, Longshot is a Rudy story for a new generation, a tale of inspiration, dedication, and the power of a dream.

International Reading Association Presentation

2009-05-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome International Reading Association members. Below is my PowerPoint from my presentation at the conference. Note to the right side of this post you'll find a Deaf Character store where you can purchase the books that I discuss throughout the blog; my list of 100+ and Counting list of books currently with 194 contemporary publications; archives to view past posts; and a list of author interviews. Thanks for visiting! If a blog seems like something that is too overwhelming to follow and you would like to receive my free newsletter by email, please contact me at: yadeafcharacters @gmail.com YADC (Young Adult Deaf Characters) is a quarterly on-line newsletter.

International Reading Association presentation on Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature

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As Special Interest Group for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Readers Chair Michele Gennaoui of the St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in NY emphasized, the International Reading Association is supportive of including Deaf issues but to do so the Special Interest Group needs members. You all know that I am a huge advocate for professional organizations. This is how we keep our collective voice in the forefront of research and the advancement for our Deaf Students. Members of this SIG investigate new and innovative reading methods, examine current research and technology, and provide a discussion forum for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. The regular individual membership is only $39.00 which includes the bimonthly newspaper Reading Today. You can now join the SIG without any annual dues! IRA also provides Sign Language Interpreters for all of the hundreds of sessions at the convention. When you register for the convention, simply make the request while you are selecting the presentations you would like to attend. It is that simple. I strongly encourage you to join!

Nobody's Perfect: The Bilingual Musical

2009-04-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last year, I went to see Nobody's Perfect, the bilingual musical, at the Kennedy Center. Now, thanks to the Anonymous Comment left on my blog, the performance may be coming to a place near you!

The national tour of Nobody's Perfect will indeed be passing through California (in early 2010). A venue in the San Diego area has released one of the performance dates:

Link to info on Poway show

Performance dates for other venues should be announced soon.

In the meantime, if you want to get your Nobody's Perfect fix there will be a youth production in Los Angeles County in May and June 2009:

Link to info on Palos Verdes show

The Palos Verdes youth production has the same director (Deaf West's Coy Middlebrook) as the Kennedy Center version. It stars Alana Smith, a very talented young actress from the California School for the Deaf in Riverside.

Deaf American Poetry

2009-04-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology, John Lee Clark, Editor
Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (March 15, 2009)

Product Description
“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,” 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.”

New Publication for those interested in 'Deafness'

2009-04-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Deaf Subjects: Between Identities and Places by Brenda Jo Brueggemann Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: NYU Press (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0814799663

Product Description
In this probing exploration of what it means to be deaf, Brenda Brueggeman goes beyond any simple notion of identity politics to explore the very nature of identity itself. Looking at a variety of cultural texts, she brings her fascination with borders and between-places to expose and enrich our understanding of how deafness embodies itself in the world, in the visual, and in language.

Taking on the creation of the modern deaf subject, Brueggeman ranges from the intersections of gender and deafness in the work of photographers Mary and Frances Allen at the turn of the last century, to the state of the field of Deaf Studies at the beginning of our new century. She explores the power and potential of American Sign Language—wedged, as she sees it, between letter-bound language and visual ways of learning—and argues for a rhetorical approach and digital future for ASL literature.

The narration of deaf lives through writing becomes a pivot around which to imagine how digital media and documentary can be used to convey deaf life stories. Finally, she expands our notion of diversity within the deaf identity itself, takes on the complex relationship between deaf and hearing people, and offers compelling illustrations of the intertwined, and sometimes knotted, nature of individual and collective identities within Deaf culture.

YADC Issue 7

2009-04-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yadc7[1]

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Book Reviews with Teens at 7th Annual Statewide Family Conference Madison, Wisc

2009-03-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome Families and Teens. Below is my PowerPoint from the Book Review portion of the conference. If a blog seems like something that is too overwhelming to follow and you would like to receive my free newsletter by email, please contact me at: yadeafcharacters @gmail.com
YADC (Young Adult Deaf Characters) is a quarterly on-line newsletter. The next issue, the Winter issue, will be sent out in a week.

Book Reviews

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7th Annual Statewide Professional & Family Conference Madison, Wisc

2009-03-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

There's No "I" in Team

This is the first time that I've been to Wisconsin and while I had pretty high expectations of this place (considering so many of my colleagues are from this area), Madison has surpassed my expectations. Aside from the "cold" weather (which is relative considering it was 28 today which is probably nothing to these folks... and it was sunny), there is so much culture and great shopping here... my friend Jennifer from Gallaudet's English Department and someone who grew up in Madison showed me the sites (the Capital, the University of Wisconsin, etc) and the places to shop. We did our share of stimulating the economy; that's for sure. Coming from the East Coast (growing up between Richmond, VA and Colonial Williamsburg, and working in Washington, D.C.), I have some pretty high expectations for architecture and historic sites. When my buddy Chris said that Washington, D.C. had nothing on Madison's capital building, I really thought he was pulling my leg. Joke was on me... the marble alone (even without noticing the real gold all over) is breathtaking.

I am, however, here for a conference. This morning I presented to professionals about my research in Adolescent Literature with Deaf Characters.

7th Annual Statewide Professional Conference Madison, Wisc

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Tomorrow I will be doing a similar but perhaps less technical when it comes to research methods presentation with the families who came in tonight. Wow did they take over. I believe the coordinator of this conference said that there are 98 families here.... nearly 100 families!!! That is incredible. As well as presenting to the families tomorrow, I get to do some Book Reviews with Middle School and High School age students. I am thrilled.

7th Annual Statewide Family Conference, Madison Wisc

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The International Reading Association Convention, Understanding Diversity in Comics: A Look at Marvel Comics "Echo" & Study Island

2009-02-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

The International Reading Association Convention always brings tons of excitement. Last year, I met Myron Uhlberg. This year I met Heather Harper the Managing Editor of Study Island. I can't wait to tell you more about Study Island's Online Graphic Novel Reading Intervention for K-12. The World as You Know is "an original, online graphic novel created by Study Island and its Original Island Inks imprint. It is a three book series following the adventures of Solomon, a Native American middle school student; Lukas, a deaf, foreign exchange student from Cameroon; and Esperanza, an ambitious Hispanic girl who guides Solomon and Lukas on their adventures. The trio believes their world is only as big as their front yard. When the three are shown what awaits them just under the surface of the world they know, they call into question what they know about that world and each other. It is a visual delight mixing one part mystery, one part fantasy, and one part discovery that sends the world on its head." I'm most excited about Lukas Biya. Read his bio below.

Lukas is from Cameroon. He is deaf, which automatically carries its own challenges. However, add to this that he, much like Solomon, is an outcast, and Lukas' life seems even more different than the lives of his classmates. His father is an important diplomat who makes little time for Lukas, but this does little to bring down Lukas and his fiercely independent streak. Lukas is similar to Solomon in that he is a pleasant kid, but he is also very skeptical. These traits are an advantage within the unit of the trio; however, alone, these qualities make Lukas vulnerable to dealing with others. Lukas soon learns that he is the central figure in a situation that is out of his control. It affects his relationships with his friends and family, and just when he thinks that he has come to grips with his place in this world, his world is turned upside down, putting him back at square one. (Study Island)

This will be out in March. I've already seen some of the panels and I'm very excited. I'll keep you posted!

Below is my Poster from the Presentation on Marvel Comics Echo- Deaf, Female and Biracial.

Understanding Diversity in Comics: A Look at Marvel Comics' Echo- Multilingual, Biracial and Deaf

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Keep in mind that the International Reading Association does have a Special Interest Group for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Readers. Click on the link for more information.

Myron Uhlberg comes HOME to Gallaudet University

2009-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

I have been planning this visit for months and dreaming about it even longer. The week was a whirlwind. First, the book Hands of My Father was selected by Amazon as one of its Best of February selections; then, the book was released; there was a review printed in the Wall Street Journal, and finally Myron Uhlberg, having never stepped foot on Kendall Green, came “Home” to Gallaudet University.
Myron revealed that he was extremely nervous about this visit stating “It’s Gallaudet University. What if Deaf people don’t understand my old rusty sign language”. While he insisted upon interpreters throughout his visit which Gallaudet University provided, I noted presentation after presentation a group of fairly bored interpreters. He walked into each new situation signing without voice. To say that our students loved him would be an understatement. Dr. Bob Weinstock, assistant to the Provost and the man who brought my idea into fruition, called Myron a “veritable rock star.” The freshmen class that he initially visited had created questions for him but once Myron began his story, he did not stop and we had to whisk him off to the next event.
During the luncheon sponsored so graciously by the provost’s office, Myron met faculty and staff members whom I consider to be some of the leading researchers in literature with Deaf Characters. Dr. Cynthia Bailes, librarian Diana Gates, and graduate student Cheryl Shahan were some in attendance. Again, Myron got lost in his story and we had to whisk him away for the campus tour.
For me, the tour given by Ms. Brooke Budzinski, interim coordinator of the Visitors Center was one of the best parts of Myron’s visit. Myron was able to actually see the campus and again and again, he mentioned how beautiful it was and how lovely the people were. Perhaps I overlook our campus’ hospitality on a daily basis but everyone signed greetings to Myron throughout his visit. On the tour, Ms. Budzinski shared numerous facts about the campus and its history; I even learned a thing or two. We entered the President’s Office and Myron was introduced to Dr. Davila who spent nearly fifteen minutes discussing the past. Dr. Davila had known Myron’s father. After that, he considered the entire visit a success since Myron’s father, Lou Uhlberg, was one of the main reasons for this visit. At 75, Myron still very much wants to impress his father with his book and his visit to THE University for the Deaf. He told me that seeing the young people signing on campus reminded him again and again of his parents. His visit with Dr. Davila was not the last time that he would become emotional during his stay.
During his visit with Professor Matt Malzkuhn’s class, Myron met a student who was also from Brooklyn. Their regional signs matched and there was no turning back as a newly confident Myron told his story. Although he continually asked for new signs, he refused to change his “old” sign for PICTURE and I’m not even sure if he caught it himself when he mumbled in sign “my father taught me that.” I can’t imagine anyone wanting to change him. Male and female college students hugged him at the end of each meeting; children tugged at his limbs and sat in his lap; grown men cried.
There was only a half hour of down time before his evening presentation. While a few technology glitches were resolved, Myron, who confessed that he just found out that he himself had the proud label of CODA, met a young boy with Deaf parents. Myron, oblivious to the crowd of adults who had come to meet him, stopped everything to make a printer’s hat for the boy who had read his books. He showed the boy exactly how his father had folded each piece. After a dynamic presentation where Myron became the characters in his book and only once used interpreters while he read a short excerpt, I suggested going off campus for dinner. It was around 8pm after an impromptu book signing but Myron wanted to stay on campus to see the students. We dined in the Rathskeller among students and a few faculty members. Myron ate a veggie burger and fries.
Friday was an early rise. We met for breakfast and with class visits to the students at Kendall and MSSD, Myron already had his newspaper ready. The first stop was a “short” visit to the Provost’s office. Dr. Weiner greeted Myron as a long lost friend. “Call me Steve,” he signed and the two entered the office with possibly the best view of Gallaudet University, if not Washington, D.C. It is impossible to do it justice by documenting the events that occurred during this visit. Dr. Weinstock and I watched two men discuss Brooklyn, their fathers, and while Myron made “Steve” a printer’s hat I believe he channeled one of their fathers. In those moments, men became boys. I don’t think I have ever seen two people so happy nor nostalgic.
Nearly a half hour late to Ms. Janet Weinstock and Ms. Mary Ann Seremeth’s MSSD class, Myron discussed his books. I was copied on numerous pages reading that we were indeed late but on our way and that from what we have seen Myron Uhlberg would be signing for himself using “Brooklyn Sign Language circa 1940s.” One of my goals of this visit was for others to understand why I loved Myron so much. I did not have to convince anyone once he stepped foot on campus.
An ardent time keeper, we had one final meet and greet with the children at Kendall Elementary school. An animated Myron teased, made printer’s hats, and showed pictures from his books. It was hard to pull him away from this “presentation” for these were the readers for whom he had written his children’s books.
His last and final stop was the Bison Shop where bookstore manager, Ms. Priscilla O'Donnell, had prepared a book signing along with a beautiful display featuring Myron’s books. When Myron does a book signing, he writes short novels not just his name, shakes hands, and listens to others’ stories. I am so honored to be considered his friend and I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud to be part of Team Gallaudet.
His brief visit had ended. In the car he called his wife and said that this was the trip of a lifetime. Gallaudet had stolen his heart just as I believe he had stolen many of ours. While driving up to the Dulles airport, Myron quoted one of my favorite authors. “F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote ‘There are no second acts in American lives’. Fitzgerald was mistaken.” Myron hugged me and with that, I said goodbye to my friend.

The Wall Street Journal Review: Between Sound and Silence

2009-02-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

Check out: Between Sound and Silence: His parents were deaf. He was not. A memoir By DAVID LODGE

Author Myron Uhlberg Scheduled to Visit Gallaudet University

2009-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Daily Digest

Noted author and CODA Myron Uhlberg will read from his new book, Hands of My Father, on Thursday, February 5, 5-7 p.m., in the Sprint Multipurpose Room, I. King Jordan Student Academic Center.

Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase through special arrangement with the Bison Shop.

Hands of My Father is a critically acclaimed book about the relationship between a hearing child and his deaf parents. The book, to be published on February 3 by Random House, is one of seven "Best of February" selections on amazon.com. Mr. Uhlberg's previous books include the children's classic Dad, Jackie, and Me, which has won 28 awards. Mr. Uhlberg will visit General Studies classes at Gallaudet and elementary and high school classes at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center during his two-day visit.

The public presentation on February 5 is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Program of General Studies.Come one, come all!

Interview with C.F. Brunner, author of Isles of View

2009-01-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here is the love story of a deaf man and a hearing woman. We've probably all heard the statistics that marriages between deaf and hearing people just don't work out; however, there are also the statistics that marriages (between any groups of people) just don't work out. Characters Dan Brighton and Cara DiSordo share their unique struggles of marriage and communication in a world where even when we speak the same language we have a hard time understanding one another. And then, Cara accepts a position that will take her away from her husband for nearly four months. Will distance make the heart grow fonder?

Isles of View by C. F. Brunner
Paperback: 162 pages
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (March 20, 2006)

Reading Level: Crossover to Adult

***Read my interview with author C.F. Brunner below***
SPW: What prompted you to write the story? The book list description reveals that your marriage to a deaf man inspired this work.

CFB: Yes, while I’ve always had the desire to write a novel, being married to a deaf man did inspire this book. People were always asking me what it is like to be married to a deaf person. They wondered how we communicated. For instance, they would ask if we speak in sign language all the time? Or how we were able to talk to each other when it got dark outside and he could not read my lips easily. Some people were curious if our house is quiet all the time with a deaf person living there. So I thought of all the different experiences we had shared, and I began to write them down. Some of the experiences were fun, some surprising and some were even frustrating. But altogether they showed what the hearing and deaf experience is about. Soon I developed a novel from all my notes.

SPW: What type of research did you do for your book?

CFB: The deaf character in my novel and my husband, both attended American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut and Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. I wanted to be sure that I depicted accurate facts regarding both institutions so I did some research on them. Also, the history of sign language in America is intriguing as it was formalized by one man, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. I researched this man as well so I could offer interesting and accurate information.
Also, I had learned much from all the years of being with my husband. He is unable to hear, but he has exceptional skills of observation, and in understanding different personality traits in people. This learning experience with him provided me with a real life study for my book.

SPW: You had your character learn some basics of Sign Language? Did you do this yourself? Will you describe your struggle overcoming communication?

CFB: Yes, I learned sign language myself. At the beginning, before I had learned signs, it was somewhat difficult to talk to Don. I had to repeat myself frequently because he didn’t understand what I was saying. Also, I had to make the effort to speak slowly so he could better read my lips. That became cumbersome so I decided to teach myself a few signs. I bought books with illustrations of hand and finger signals for many words in the English language. I started putting them together into sentences and then it became easier to communicate with him.
Still, it is an ongoing process and even after years of knowing each other, communication can at times still be a challenge. It takes patience and understanding. I wouldn’t say that we’ve overcome the struggle to communicate, but we’ve learned how to manage it nicely.

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

CFB: My hope is that readers will learn that even people with different abilities can share love. Often it is just those very differences that make a relationship very special. Obstacles can be overcome when both people are motivated to make everything work.
Additionally, I’d like readers to recognize that not all deaf individuals are the same. They are as unique as we hearing people are. Some deaf individuals prefer sign language to speaking, and some deaf people prefer speaking to sign language. It is their choice based on their own backgrounds and skills. The best thing that hearing people can do for deaf people is to allow them to be themselves. Trying to fit them into a category of an ASL (American Sign Language) user, or an Exact English user or even as an Oral deaf person is not fair or practical. Trends come and go, and the person is still just who he or she is.

SPW: What advice would you give to young people (or the young at heart) who are reading your book for the first time?

CFB: My advice is to be open to differences in people. Not just between hearing and deaf people, but to all people. Kindness and compassion go a long way in this difficult world. It makes others smile, and our hearts can smile with them when we know we’ve given our best.

SPW: Anything you would like to add....

CFB: I think people will enjoy my book. It is a sweet story about two people who find each other, connect and work very hard to stay together. It reflects optimism and compassion. It is a realistic depiction of the deaf and hearing experience of two unique individuals.

Secondary Deaf Character in Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

2009-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

Whitethorn Woods (2007) by Maeve Binchy

I literally found this book on my desk. Thanks to colleague Jane H. for reading this one to the end and then running it up the steps to let me know that she found a Deaf Character! This book is for adults but may be of interest for older teens.

Melanie is the Deaf Character in the story and shows up near the end of the book. Each section is told from a different character's point of view so this is her section. Melanie attended presumably a deaf school called St. Martin's a school "for girls like me"(359). She describes herself as "profoundly deaf" (359) and communicates in "sign language" and speech (363). She enrolls in a training program so that she can later teach deaf children (373).

Book Description
Everything is changing in Rossmore. No longer a sleepy Irish town, where young people leave to travel the world; nowadays it's a prosperous place, so busy that a new bypass has been proposed.
The people of Rossmore are divided, particularly since the road will go right through the Whitethorn Woods and the well dedicated to St Ann. It's a well thought by some to have near spiritual properties and by others dismissed as superstition. No one is more concerned than the honest and well-meaning curate Father Brian Flynn, who has no idea which faction to support. Surely Neddy O'Brien's family should take the compensation being offered for their land? But wasn't Neddy's mother given a cure at the well many years ago? And what about the childless London woman who came to the Whitethorn Woods begging the Saint for help, with the most unexpected consequences? Lifelong friends who first met on an Israeli kibbutz visit the shrine to sort out their marriages; a wealthy American seeks advice; and a murderess and her mother have both considered consulting the saint...

19 days until Myron Uhlberg's book release.... and his visit to Gallaudet!!!

2009-01-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg will be released on February 3, 2009. I have been mentioning this book for quite some time so I'm thrilled that Myron Uhlberg will be making his way to Gallaudet University for the release of his memoir. During the IRA Convention, I met and instantly adored Mr. Uhlberg. I laughed and cried during his presentation about the legacy of his parents, Sarah and Lou Uhlberg. It was an absolute honor to attend his presentation then as it is to call him "friend" now.
If you're like me and you just can't wait to read the book (luckily I received an advance copy months ago), check out his essay "Language Instincts" provided by Amazon.com.

"Language Instinct"

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Looking for a Few Good Writers... Will you answer the Call?

2009-01-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Perhaps your New Year's Resolution is to have your great American novel published... or to finally share that poignant poem that you have written. In the past, I have had several aspiring writers contact me regarding their manuscripts and haven't been able to give them any guidance... until now.
If you're a writer and also Deaf or Hard of Hearing, you may want to contact Drs. Nelson and Harmon at Gallaudet University. They have recently made a Call for Submissions (below). The deadline is quickly approaching!
****************************************************************************
We (Jennifer Nelson and Kristen Harmon) have a well-respected press who is interested in working with us on a collection of Deaf American prose (which we define broadly as including, but not limited to:
• short stories,
• flash fiction—and other innovative forms of short fiction—
• non-fiction/memoirs,
• personal essays,
• blogs,
• prose innovations in ASL/English transliteration,
• satire and humor writing, and
• short plays/screenplays, among others.

The subject matter does not have to be explicitly about deaf, Deaf, or hard of hearing American lives, but we do want the author to be deaf, Deaf, or hard of hearing.Please send both of us an email at Kristen.Harmon@gallaudet.edu, and Jennifer.Nelson@gallaudet.edu, to let us know that you are considering submitting prose work. Please send us this work or your proposal as an attachment on or before March 1, 2009. We will respect the confidentiality of your work while it is under consideration.If you know someone who also might be ready to submit work for this collection, please let us know that person’s name and contact information.
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Sign Language and Secondary Deaf Character in Oprah's Book Club text, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2009-01-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've hesitated adding this book to my blog because the story is about main character Edgar who is described as "mute". Folks keep bringing this book to my attention and it is one of Oprah's Book Club reads....

Edgar uses sign language to communicate. Louise Wilkes is a CODA and communicates using the Sign Language that her Deaf parents taught her. This character works with Deaf children and hearing children of Deaf parents. There is another secondary Deaf Character whom Edgar meets when he is four. The character communicates through Sign Language but also speaks. Edgar notes that he sounds funny (p. 49).

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski
Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Ecco (September 19, 2008)

Book Description
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm--and into Edgar's mother's affections.
Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires--spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward.

Children's Book: It's Called Deafness

2008-12-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

"It's Called Deafness"
I Am Deaf (Live and Learn Series) by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos (Author), Marta Fabrega (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (March 1, 2009)

Product Description

Titles in the Live and Learn series take a child’s point of view--especially the view of children who either suffer from some physical challenge or lack self-confidence in going about their everyday activities. This book describes challenges that hearing-impaired children face, and how one child overcomes them to live a normal, happy life. This attractively illustrated picture storybook series encourages kids to understand themselves and overcome problems that have troubled them. Following each story are four pages of suggested activities that relate to the book’s theme. A final two-page section offers advice to parents. Live and Learn titles are available in both English and Spanish language editions. This is an English language title.

SPW Note: The title is listed as I Am Deaf but the picture on the book calls it It's Called Deafness. Not sure which one is correct... Seems a little confusing to me.

Children's book: Alexander Graham Bell: Setting the Tone for Communication

2008-12-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Alexander Graham Bell: Setting the Tone for Communication (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors and Scientists) (2008) by Mike Venezia
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Children's Press(CT)
The reprint edition (coming in March 2009) is much cheaper because it is in paperback.

This book is a part of a series, Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors and Scientists.

Picture Book: Kids from Critter Cove with Deaf Character

2008-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

Kids from Critter Cove by Merilee Dodson (Author), Terril Gregor (Illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 44 pages

Publisher: PublishAmerica (October 29, 2007)

Product Description

When a small group of special needs characters are joined by a newcomer on the way to school, they find themselves in a worrisome situation. The newcomer’s “perceived” misbehavior, and the events that follow, teach a valuable lesson about making assumptions regarding those who are different from us.

Hoop the Hare is the Deaf Rabbit-character. My favorite line is on page 39, "Just because you can't understand me, that doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm saying, and don't assume that deaf means less smart". The purpose of this book is to teach children about people who are different or who have disabilities.

Young Adult Deaf Characters (YADC) Fall 2008 Newsletter

2008-12-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yadc6[1]

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Secondary Deaf Character in A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

2008-12-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to librarian Ann G. from New York for sharing this book with me. Ann explains that while the Deaf Character isn't the main character, she plays a pivotal role in the story. I just added bought this book from Amazon and look forward to reading it.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (2006)

Book Description
Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience -- until a shocking betrayal makes clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with tantalizing details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively historical novel features a winning heroine whom readers will not soon forget.
A feisty orphan is taken in by a band of phony spiritualists in this intriguing, engaging novel.
Author Description
Laura Amy Schlitz, the author of the Newbery Medal winner, GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES!: VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE, has spent most of her life working as a librarian and professional storyteller. She has also written plays for young people that have been performed in professional theaters all over the country. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Deaf Character, Muffet, is a secondary character who communicates with "signs".
Thanks again Ann!

Books I'll be watching for....

2008-12-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

"Vignettes of the Deaf Character": And Other Plays by Willy Conley

Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (May 15, 2009)

Product Description
Twelve of Deaf master playwright Willy Conley feature deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing characters created from the Deaf perspective.

Willy Conley is a Professor in the Theatre Arts Department at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

I Fill This Small Space: The
Writings of a Deaf Activist (Deaf Lives Series) by Lawrence Newman

Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (April 15, 2009)

Product Description
This collection features the best articles and poems by Deaf activist and 1968 California Teacher of the Year on subjects ranging from communication and language to humorous insights on his own activities.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

A deaf seventeen-year-old manages her high school rock band to both humorous and devastating effect, will be published by Dial (2010). Thanks Julie K!

Deaf Character book selected to be on the Virginia Young Readers' Choice List

2008-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Myron Uhlberg! His picture book Dad, Jackie, and Me has been selected to be on the Virginia Young Readers’ Choice list for 2009-2010. This children’s choice award is sponsored by the Virginia State Reading Association. Winners will be announced officially in May 2010.

ALAN Breakfast speaker, Sharon Creech and her CODA character

2008-11-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been increasingly hectic with the end of the semester approaching. I arrived home late Sunday night and didn't have time to post anything about the wonderful time I had at the ALAN Breakfast at the NCTE Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Laurie Halse Anderson, (pictured left) author of Speak, was presented with the 2008 ALAN Award. She was absolutely hysterical making fun of some of the required reading that was forced to read in school. She mentioned The Scarlet Letter and made a horrible face. Following her award, the ALAN breakfast speaker, Sharon Creech (pictured right) delivered her inspiring message about reaching students like a young Laurie Halse Anderson. Creech is the best-selling author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, and the Newbery Honor Book The Wanderer. She is also the first American in history to be awarded the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. During the breakfast, she spoke about her book, Love That Dog. The first time I read Love That Dog I cried... the story is that good. Creech's recent book, Hate That Cat: A Novel, picks up another year of Jack's life with teacher Miss Stretchberry. The exciting thing is... and it was a shocker for me during her presentation... Creech gives us more information about main character Jack's life. Readers even discover that Jack is a CODA- his mother is Deaf and uses sign language to communicate! Can you imagine how excited I was sitting at the ALAN Breakfast and finding out about a Deaf Character being added to her recent novel?!? I love how life is full of surprises. Jack's mother is a minor character but still....

Hate That Cat: A Novel by Sharon Creech
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Joanna Cotler (September 23, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0061430927

Need another reason to join ALAN? Try FREE books!!!

2008-11-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Joan Kaywell just sent a reminder that the ALAN WORKSHOP in SAN ANTONIO is right around the corner. Read an excerpt from her email below. Even if you can't make it to this year's meeting, you may want to consider joining. The application is attached below in SlideShare.

You won’t want to miss the annual ALAN Workshop, occurring on November 24-25 in San Antonio, TX. There is still room available but now you’ll have to register on site. The cost of the two-day workshop is practically nothing when one considers that you receive a year’s membership and a free box of books! Seeing and hearing the authors’ presentations is worth it even if there were no freebies. But for those registered, here’s a little information about the packet of books that you will be receiving as a registrant for the ALAN workshop:

This package will be a box (16” x 16” x 12”) that will weigh approximately 30-35 lbs.

Alan Membership Form

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YouTube Video- Rally Caps

2008-11-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

RALLY CAPS - A fun baseball story

Adolescent Literature & the Presidential Elections

2008-11-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

The closer we come to Election Day, the more talk there is in the media about the Presidential Elections. Everywhere I go people are discussing the candidates and talking about change. I believe that voting is not only our right as citizens but our responsibility. This week I encourage you to try to include adolescents in your discussions. They don't necessarily need to know every detail about the economy, health care, and the war but they do need to be involved in the importance of elections.

Why not introduce your favorite adolescents to Megan McDonald's Changes for Julie (American Girls Collection) (2007).

The main character Julie is sent to detention for passing a note to Deaf Character Joy, a new student who has trouble understanding what their teacher is saying. When Julie is sent to detention for passing the note, she is determined to change the rules for detention and the system itself. Julie runs for Student Body President while Joy runs for Student Body Vice President.

This book offers an uncanny parallel to our U.S. elections. The characters discuss their principles and concerns for electing someone who is a little "different" (the student body has never had a Deaf girl who "talks a little funny" and uses Sign Language as their VP before).

Want to know more about the author? Visit one of my earlier posts with an interview with Megan McDonald.

CODA Character in At Face Value

2008-10-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

At Face Value (October 2008) by Emily Franklin
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Flux

Linus', a staff writer at the Word, has a father who is deaf. Linus teaches main character Cyrie sign language and the two use it throughout the book.

Product Description

You've never seen a nose as big as mine. In this modern love story, Cyrano de Bergerac is reinvented as a brilliant and funny seventeen-year-old ...girl. A tennis champion, straight-A student, and editor of the school paper, Cyrie Bergerac has learned to live with her (ahem) peculiar proboscis. And she's got an armoury of witty retorts for every schnozz joke that comes her way. But despite her talents and charm, Cyrie is convinced that no guy-hot or otherwise-would deem her crush-worthy.Certainly not Eddie 'Rox' Roxanninoff, who's gorgeous, smart, and genuinely nice to boot! There's someone else smitten with Rox, too. It's Leyla, Cyrie's pretty yet tongue-tied best friend. Helping Leyla seduce Rox through email provides a wonderful way for Cyrie to express her true feelings. But watching her crush hook up with Leyla may be more than she can take. Will Cyrie find the strength to risk it all-nose be damned-and confess her love? In this funny and poignant spin on a classic, popular YA author Emily Franklin explores the age-old theme of 'true beauty' with humour and piercing perception.

Interview with Emily Arnold McCully regarding her new book, My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the Birth of American Sign Language

2008-10-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the Birth of American Sign Language (2008) by Emily Arnold McCully
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Many of you may already know the story of how Alice Cogswell caught the attention of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Children’s author, illustrator and Caldecott Medal winner Emily Arnold McCully invites us to take another look at this touching story of how “one little girl inspired a whole new language- as well as the school where it could be taught”. This picture book shares their story and recounts how Gallaudet's interest in teaching Alice carries him on a long journey that eventually leads to the nation's first school for the deaf. In addition, a beautifully written author’s note offers more details about American Sign Language and Alice’s life after attending school.

I personally enjoyed reading the excerpts of Alice’s letters to Gallaudet while he was in Europe. This is a nice way to teach even the youngest children about the history of American Sign Language.

*******Read my interview with Emily Arnold McCully below*******
SPW: What prompted you to write the story?

EAM: For many years, I have invented or looked in history for brave and inquisitive
young girls. Then I make them heroines of picture books. (Mirette on the High Wire, Marvelous Mattie). One of my sons, Nathaniel McCully, is fluent in ASL and a student of Deaf History. I think that his interest was sparked by a friend whose niece was deaf. In any case, he knew the story of Thomas Gallaudet, Alice Cogswell and Laurent Clerc. He told it to me in outline and I realized that Alice was another heroine whose story could spread the word about ASL to hearing children and affirm part of their heritage for Deaf children.

SPW: What type of research did you do for your book? (for example, the excerpts from Alice's letters to Gallaudet while he was in Europe; your author's note with the list of sources-- I'm mostly asking about the process to point out the value of researching)

EAM: Since I knew nothing about the subject, I first went to the New York University Library, where I am lucky enough to have access to the stacks. This means that I can go to the section where books about Deaf culture and education are shelved and simply browse my way around. I looked at many books that weren’t immediately relevant--but that is the beauty of a library. You can read all around a subject as well as all about it. When one is telling a story, it is essential to know much more than will actually be incorporated into the story. I read Hartford histories and Cogswell family histories. I also consulted a great many excellent websites about Deaf history, particularly Galludet University’s. Next, I went directly to the American School for the Deaf, in Hartford, where Alice was in the first class. Gary E. Wait is the archivist there and he welcomed me warmly, showed me the books in his library and the objects on exhibit. He told me stories about Alice Cogswell and Thomas Gallaudet and examples of other peoples’ writing about them. I read excerpts from Alice’s and Thomas’ letters. Later, Mr. Wait read drafts of the story and made suggestions.

I had already read Harlan Lane’s When the Mind Hears and found it illuminating and inspiring. Gary Wait encouraged me to write to Professor Lane and that’s how I was able to use his imagining of Alice’s greeting to Laurent Clerc as the book’s title. Gary Wait advised me to leave out the story of sign language’s suppression, as it would only detract from what is a powerfully positive story of overcoming ignorance and hopelessness. After I finished the book I went to Paris and visited the school where Abbe Sicard and Clerc taught. The classrooms were not open to visitors but I was taken to the charming old library and shown a video of the school’s history (which included powerful scenes of the suppression of sign language).

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

EAM: I hope that everyone who reads my book will come away with an understanding of Gallaudet’s courage and persistence, of Alice’s intelligence and spirit. I also think Laurent Clerc was a terrifically cool man but a picture book has only 32 pages and I had to keep his role small.

SPW: What advice would you give to young people (or the young at heart) who are reading your books for the first time?

EAM: To children reading my books for the first time, I say, read more books-let history tell you its story. I think that is the only way to become steady and wise in the world. We can learn from what happened - in fact, we must! Books make us strong.
**********************************************************************
For more information about the author, visit the Balkin Buddies Page for her biography and list of published works.

The Silent Time slated for a Heritage and History Book Award

2008-10-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Historic Sites Association partners with the Writer's Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador to present a Heritage and History Book Award for a work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or young adult/children's literature that exemplifies excellence in the interpretation of the history and heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador. A shortlist is selected and the winner is announced in December of that year. Let's cross our fingers because The Silent Time by Paul Rowe has made the short list!!! I read it last December and it became one of my favorite reads of the year.... and is still one of my favorites. The deaf character, Dulcie attends the Halifax School for the Deaf in the early 1900s, similar to the author's late mother, Elizabeth Rowe. The plot is amazing!

Happy Belated Birthday!

2008-10-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

I remember when my doctoral advisor told me to pick a topic that I would love researching because the topic would stay with me for a long time. Two years and two days ago, my dissertation was born (or rather defended). I still do love my research.

Interview with Linda Kurtz Kingsley about her Children's Book SIGNS OF JAYS

2008-10-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

((CORRECTION: the birds in the story are Scrub-Jays, not Blue Jays... the East Coast girl in me just came out))
Signs of Jays (October 2008) by Linda Kurtz Kingsley
Publisher: Jason & Nordic Publishers
Reading Age: 4 to 9

When narrator Pete and his mother rescue two abandoned Scrub-Jays, his friend Mike, who is deaf, and other deaf and hard of hearing students help take on the responsibility of caring for the baby birds. His mother explains that just like the students in her class who are preparing to mainstream, the jays are being prepared to mainstream back into the wild. This story is very much about bridging the communication between deaf and hearing children and how two boys overcome their barriers of communication to become friends.
The title holds a double meaning. While this is a beginning “sign” language book, Pete and Mike are waiting for a “sign” from the birds that they have raised and freed into the wild. The book includes twenty-four signs and beautiful watercolor illustrations of children using American Sign Language and wearing hearing aids.

****Read my interview with author Linda Kurtz Kingsley below*****

SPW: How did you decide to become an art teacher at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf?

LKK: Actually, I started out with the intention of becoming an illustrator. I come from a family of artists and my grandfather did covers for the Saturday Evening Post. I grew up a few blocks away from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf when it was in Mt. Airy. They advertised for an illustrator to draw educational material. I applied for the job and they talked me into taking a job at the school as their middle school art teacher. I was immediately hooked. I spent the next 3 years teaching art, being trained as an academic teacher of the deaf at the same time. The next 3 years I was an interpreter for college bound deaf students. I'm not deaf, but I am hard of hearing. I have about a 40 db bilateral censorial hearing loss that I've had since I was 30.

SPW: What prompted you to write Signs of Jays?

LKK: My first year teaching at PSD my roofer brother brought me a nest of starlings. He had to take the nest down to fix a roof and when he put it back, the mother did not return to the nest. I took the birds with me to PSD. The kids fed the birds during the day. At night, the birds came home with me. Eventually, they had to learn to be "mainstreamed" back into the wild. It was a great experience for my students and it gave me the idea for Signs of Jays which I wrote more than 30 years later.

SPW: Who is your target audience?

LKK: My target audience is deaf/hearing impaired students from preschool through about grade 4. I hope it will be enjoyed by older kids too. It is also designed to teach non-hearing impaired students about hearing impaired students they might encounter in school or the community.

SPW: What type of research did you do for your book? Will you explain your actual experiences taking care of orphaned birds?

LKK: I got a lot of help from our local wildlife center. Later, when I actually wrote and illustrated the book in California, I used California scrub jays instead of starlings, so I set up a bird feeder on my deck and took lots of photos. I already knew about the deaf and mainstreaming because by this time I was also a resource specialist working with mainstreamed students who were deaf, or had other impairments. My publisher circulated the book among many experts in the deaf community and they made suggestions.
Taking care of the birds was a little crazy. At first, they had to be fed every two hours. Later, when they started to fly, they got into all kinds of trouble like eating kids' food at lunch and pooping on peoples' heads. I remember once they landed on a hot wok when my husband was trying to stir fry a Chinese dinner.

(illustration from page 17 of Signs of Jays)

SPW: What do you hope readers will learn from this book?

LKK: I hope they learn that all people, disabled and not have the same wants and needs. We can all get along together.

SPW: What advice do you give to young, or young of heart who are reading the book for the first time?

LKK: Get out in the community and school and participate. Try new things. Don't be afraid if your voice sounds funny, or your body isn't perfect. No one will know how smart you are until you show them.

SPW: Do you want to add anything?

LKK: Never give up your goals. I had the idea for Signs of Jays more than 30 years ago. Today, at age 62, with rheumatoid arthritis, I finally achieved the goal I had as a five year old. It's never too late.

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

For more information about the author, visit Linda Kurtz Kingsley's webpage. To purchase the book, visit Harris Communications.

Presentation: Deaf Comic Book Characters

2008-10-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

This presentation is for the students in Gallaudet's Art Department in preparation for my presentation at the International Reading Association Convention in February.

Presentation Deaf Comic Book Characters

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Deaf Students impacted by Hurricane IKE

2008-10-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Council of American Instructors of the Deaf (CAID) is collecting money for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (and their families) in the Galveston/Houston area of Texas who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ike. Families are in need of beds, furniture, school supplies, etc. CAID pledges that all funds will go to families in an effort to recreate pre-Ike conditions for students in these areas.

CAID Council Member, Gabriel Lomas, who is a Hurricane Ike survivor is processing requests for these families and will work with the Council to allocate these funds as needed.

If you are able, please mail your donation to the CAID office or call their office if you would like to make a credit card donation.

Attention D/HH Hurricane Ike Survivors
CAID Office Manager Helen Lovato P.O. Box 377 Bedford, TX 76095-0377

(817) 354-8414 V/TTY

Email: caid@swbell.net

New List: Children's Books with Deaf Characters

2008-10-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

While my primary focus is adolescent and Young Adult chapter books, I have added information about children's literature from time to time. I encourage you to visit my 100+ and Counting List which includes Juvenile (early chapter books- some with illustrations).

This is a new list that I will add titles to as I find them. This is NOT a comprehensive list of children's books with Deaf Characters. I have included books that I consider "contemporary". I usually do not include books that are out-of-print or unavailable.

Antoinette Abbamonte, Tree Wise (2007)

Sally Hobart Alexander & Robert Alexander, She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer (2008)

Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf, The Smart Princess and Other Deaf Tales (2006)

Claire H. Blatchford, Going With the Flow (1998)- deaf author

Elizabeth Boschini & Rachel Chaikof-deaf author with C.I., Ellie's Ears (2008)- deaf character with C.I.

Merilee Dodson, Kids from Critter Cove (2007)-The purpose of this book is to teach children about people who are different or who have disabilities.
Joyce Dunbar, Moonbird (2007 reprint)
Linda Kurtz Kingsley, Signs of Jays (2008)

Patricia Lakin, Dad and Me in the Morning (1994)

Laila Laván and Beatriz Iglesias, Lucy: Loud and Clear / Lucía: alto y claro (2007)

Jeanne M. Lee, Silent Lotus (1994)

Emily Arnold McCully, My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the Birth of American Sign Language (2008)

Isaac Millman, Moses Goes To a Concert (1980)

Isaac Millman, Moses Goes to School (2000)

Isaac Millman, Moses Goes to the Circus (2003)

Isaac Millman, Moses Sees a Play (2004)
Jennifer Moore-Mallinos, I Am Deaf (Live and Learn Series) (March 2009)

Anita Riggio, Secret Signs: Escape Through the Underground Railroad (2002)

Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs, Deaf Musicians (2006)-ALA honored book

Andrea Stenn Stryer, Kami and the Yaks (2007)

Myron Uhlberg, Dad, Jackie, and Me (2005)

Myron Uhlberg, Flying over Brooklyn (1999)

Myron Uhlberg, The Printer (2003)
Mike Venezia, Alexander Graham Bell: Setting the Tone for Communication (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors and Scientists) (2008)

Valentine, Dina the Deaf Dinosaur (1997)

New Children's Book: My Heart Glow by Emily Arnold McCully

2008-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

My Heart Glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the Birth of American Sign Language (2008) by Emily Arnold McCully

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Alice Cogswell was a bright and curious child and a quick learner. She also couldn't hear. And, unfortunately, in the early nineteenth century in America, there was no way to teach deaf children. One day, though, an equally curious young man named Thomas Gallaudet, Alice's neighbor, senses Alice's intelligence and agrees to find a way to teach her. Gallaudet's interest in young Alice carries him across the ocean and back and eventually inspires him to create the nation's first school for the deaf, thus improving young Alice's life and the lives of generations of young, deaf students to come.

New in October Children's Book: Signs of Jays by Linda Kurtz Kingsley

2008-10-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Signs of Jays (October 2008) by Linda Kurtz Kingsley

Publisher: Jason & Nordic Publishers
ISBN-13: 9780944727225
Reading Age: 4 to 9
32pp

Peter and his mother rescued two abandoned jays. Caring for the baby birds became a project for Pete, Mike, who was deaf, and for Pete’s mother’s hearing impaired class students. Just as the children in the hearing impaired group were preparing to mainstream, so the boys prepared the jays to be mainstreamed back into the wild. This is a beginning signing book. It has twenty four signs and the standard ASL alphabet included.Reading Signs of Jays together and learning some of the signs included may open areas of understanding and provide opportunity for discussion with friends and siblings as children are included in regular education classrooms.

New Book for Adolescents: From A to Zulinski by Deb Piper

2008-10-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

From A to Zulinski (May 2008) by Deb Piper

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Royal Fireworks Publishing Company

This is the third volume in the chronicles of the irrepressible Jake's schooling. We first met him in Jake's the Name, Sixth Grade's the Game and followed by his exploits in Those Sevy Blues.
Jake is deaf and has relied on an interpreter to sign the spoken words in his classrooms. For most of his teachers and classmates he was the first mainstreamed deaf student they had encountered.

By the time he has reached high school Jake has a deaf classmate and long acquaintance with his peers. They know what mischief he can generate. The book is a series of flashbacks from the perspective of high school graduation, and Jake Zulinski has plenty of time for remembrance while his classmates receive their diplomas in alphabetical order.

There was the explosion of parts in small engine repair and the major problem in the welding class. Jake is reminded of his first date, and the girl's father who was more than a little concerned. There was the problem of sign language in the darkroom in photography and of his female interpreter in the boys' locker room for track. Then there was the incident...but you'll have to read the book to find out how much mayhem one student can cause.

Conference Presentation: The Importance of Including Adolescent Literature with Deaf Characters

2008-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome Weaving Common Threads Conference Attendees. Note to the right side of this post you'll find a Deaf Character store where you can purchase the books that I discuss throughout the blog; my list of 100+ and Counting list of books currently with 185 contemporary publications; archives to view past posts; and a list of author interviews. Thanks for visiting!

The Importance of Including Adolescent Literature with Deaf Characters in the Curriculum

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Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature

Interview with Wonderstruck author, Brian Selznick

CODA author Kambri Crews, Burn Down the Ground:A Memoir (2012)

Now in paperback! (October 11) The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin [Paperback] by Josh Berk

Wonderstruck A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick

Interview with author Karla Oceanak Dumbstruck (The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series)

Secondary Deaf Character in The Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel Series

Tribes Coming September 2011

Kicking Up Dirt: A True Story of Determination, Deafness, and Daring (June 2011)

Just added to my Kindle for $2.99-- The Inbetweener

Just added to my Kindle for .99-- Interpreter for the Deaf

New YA Book with a Signing Deaf Character-- out in 5 Days!

On the Odd Hours

Broken Voices

FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB interview with Deaf Character author ANTONY JOHN

New Deaf Character Book for November

New Book: Return of the Lion People by Michael Milone

New Book: Secret Signs by T.J. Waters (November 2010)

New comic book *8 Ways to be Deaf* and interview with Deaf Author Adrean Clark

Interview with Josh Berk, author of my new favorite book, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin

My big fat crush on Josh Berk and his Deaf Character Will Halpin

NTID Technology and Deaf Education Symposium

Deaf issue of m/c - a journal of media and culture

DAREDEVIL/ECHO: VISION QUEST (PREMIERE HARDCOVER) IN STORES: September 29, 2010

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

To Be Released in November!

Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature Online Class at Gallaudet University

Wisconsin Statewide Professional Conference

Sequel to Meg Burden's NORTHLANDER

BRINGING UP SOPHIE by Linda Kurtz Kingsley

Echo- Deaf, Biracial & Multilingual

Shameless Self Promotion

Gallaudet's writer-in-residence Myron Uhlberg's presentation

New in Young Adult

CODA Author Myron Uhlberg returns to Gallaudet University

Jacqueline Woodson interview about her book, Feathers, and Deaf Culture

Sifting Dirt by Willy Conley

Ashley Fiolek featured in Might Motoxers

Mighty Motoxers (X-Moves) by Michael Sandler

Library Binding: 24 pages

Publisher: Bearport Publishing (August 2009)

Minor Deaf Charactes in Spring Break

Spring Break with Paddy O'Rourke by Patti B. Pruitt

Interview with Deaf Playwright Willy Conley

Documentary about ASL Poetry, "The Heart of the Hydrogen Jukebox"

Secondary Hard of Hearing Character in Certain Girls

Secondary Deaf Character in Children's Book, Julia's Words

CODA Characters and other Resources for Deaf Parents with Hearing Children

Deaf Teen Races on Women's Motorcross circuit

Hard of Hearing Character in the movie 'Knowing'

Deaf Superhero Wanted

Deaf Character in Summer Camp Adventure

Marlee Matlin Booksigning

New in Paperback- The Sign for Drowning

New Publication- Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA

International Reading Association Presentation

Nobody's Perfect: The Bilingual Musical

Deaf American Poetry

New Publication for those interested in 'Deafness'

YADC Issue 7

Book Reviews with Teens at 7th Annual Statewide Family Conference Madison, Wisc

7th Annual Statewide Professional & Family Conference Madison, Wisc

The International Reading Association Convention, Understanding Diversity in Comics: A Look at Marvel Comics "Echo" & Study Island

Myron Uhlberg comes HOME to Gallaudet University

The Wall Street Journal Review: Between Sound and Silence

Author Myron Uhlberg Scheduled to Visit Gallaudet University

Interview with C.F. Brunner, author of Isles of View

Secondary Deaf Character in Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

19 days until Myron Uhlberg's book release.... and his visit to Gallaudet!!!

Looking for a Few Good Writers... Will you answer the Call?

Sign Language and Secondary Deaf Character in Oprah's Book Club text, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Children's Book: It's Called Deafness

Children's book: Alexander Graham Bell: Setting the Tone for Communication

Picture Book: Kids from Critter Cove with Deaf Character

Young Adult Deaf Characters (YADC) Fall 2008 Newsletter

Secondary Deaf Character in A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

Books I'll be watching for....

Deaf Character book selected to be on the Virginia Young Readers' Choice List

New comic book 8 Ways to be Deaf and interview with Deaf Author Adrean Clark