Sign Language Poetry: Websites

Thanks to Jody Cripps for sharing a poet's work on nature and his list of poems for further exploration and research. Please see Jody Cripps's work on Deaf-centered signed music research, which also applies to sign language poetry. See the video Signed Music and the Deaf Musicians. This publication, Signed Music: Rhythm of the Heart, helps one understand this performance genre. View the video documentary. The signed music analysis is also available for your review.

Bottoms, A. R. (2012). Deflowered. Deaf Studies Digital Journal, Issue 3. (Note, contact me if you want to see this video). 

A list of ASL poetry works is on the Society for ASL’s website. http://societyforasl.org/poetry-table

Thanks to Eric Epstein for sharing this list of recent poets' works on nature. 

• "Sunflower" by Raul Melgar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7i7IKwv6iI (high-quality original ASL poem that won an honorable mention in the ASL poetry category of the 2017-2018 Gallaudet University National Literary Competition). You can also use this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hEXv1Ab60A, but this version's filming quality is diminished.
• "Dandelion Blowing in the Wind" by Evelina Gaina - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElpQvg8qfWI - an ASL poem about Evelina processing her grief over losing her pet cat -- where the dandelion field represents the transformation of all deceased pets into free-flying dandelion wisps in the wind, bringing joy to all.
• "The Rosebush" by Ella Mae Lentz - this is a relatively recent ASL nature poem (dating 2008) where the roses symbolize the growth of ASL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9biUSeHRlo&list=PLK1Kuz-qBU2cu6tYrh0MjBj6gvGHxMR_y&index=17
• "Caterpillar" by Ian Saborn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmpd-XCRDjIcan be considered a nature poem in that it depicts the journey of a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly.
• "Sweeping Sister Willow" by Terrylene Sacchetti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlmEclBN4to has prominent nature imagery of the willow tree "sweeping" old pains and sorrows of the river's surface to move on to a new beginning, a new sunrise.
• "The Leaf" by John Maucere - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-fNV0Eh1h8 - the leaf is personified as someone susceptible to peer pressure and gets caught up in the whirlwind of the river. He also made another ASL poem prominently featuring nature called "Nourish and Embrace... it will Thrive" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e4w0f8fYhc
• "Symbiosis" by Douglas Ridloff—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvgdn8WtOnM—tells the story of bees supporting flowers until an unfortunate pesticide wipes out the bees and ultimately kills the flowers, symbolizing the Deaf community and the efforts of outsiders to eradicate ASL. This ASL poem is the spiritual successor to Valli's "Dandelions" because the poet Douglas has said he is most influenced by Clayton Valli.

Signed Music Resources

• Understanding Signed Music: http://wp.towson.edu/signedmusic/
• Signed Music Rhythm of Heart:    • Signed Music: A Symphonious Odyssey  
• SignedMusic: A Symphonious Odyssey:    • Signed Music: A Symphonious Odyssey  
• Tick Tock by Ian Sanborn:    • Tick Tock (Remastered)  
• Eyes by Janis Cripps:    • Eyes  
• Masque by Hodan Youssouf: à venir
• I Honour You by Pamela Witcher:    • I Honour You  
• Rain by Jody Cripps:    • Rain  
• Nos Mains Qui Vibrent: http://vibrations.participatorymedia....
• Musique au bout des doigts: http://actproject.ca/act/musique-au-b...
• The Artwork of Video Editing in Signed Music (Written English version provided on website for language accessibility purpose): https://journalofasl.com/the-artwork-...
• Ethnomusicology and Signed Music: A Breakthrough (Written English version provided on website for language accessibility purpose): http://journalofasl.com/ethnomusicology/
• Cripps, J. H., Rosenblum, E., Small, A., Supalla, S. J. (2017). A case study on signed music: The emergence of an inter-performative art. Liminalities, 13(2). http://liminalities.net/13-2/signedmu...
• A Case Study on Signed Music: The Emergence of an Inter-performance Art:https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...
• Cripps, J. H, & Lyonblum, E. (2017). Understanding signed music. Society of American Sign Language Journal, 1(1), 78-95.: https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...

Dot's' Legacy

Dot

Poets of color are listed here. Some write English poetry, some sign poetry, and some create in both languages. If other poets of color should be listed, please get in touch. Thank you to Fred Beam and Jill Bradbury for sharing this information.

Elyane King 
Irvine Stewart
Kristi Merriweather
Rosa Lee Timm (Gallimore)
Ayisha Knight-Shaw
Earl Terry
Fred Beam
Teraca Florence
Nathie Marbury
Sho Roc (Keith Brown – songwriter)

ASL Soul Poetry

Bernard Bragg

Deaf Mythology-Charles Katz

Eddie Swayze

Eric Epstein--Artistic Signing Reference Guide

Flying Words Project

Handspeak

John Lee Clark Blog

Jon Savage

Kyra Politt

Metaphor in Creative Sign Language Project

Raymond Luczak

Richard Carter: BSL Poetry

Scottish Poetry Library

Signing Hands Across the Water

Wim Emmerik

Some poets you may want to research are listed below. You can use the Gallaudet Deaf Biography database to find more information about some of these poets. Click "search by keyword" and type in last name and first name.

American Sign Language Poets
Colin Analco
Bernard Bragg
Aneta Brodski
Peter Cook/Kenny Lerner
Eric Epstein
Patrick Graybill
Ella Mae Lentz
Eric Malzkuhn
Dorothy Miles
Robert Panara
Jeremy Quiroga
Rezenet Moges-Riedel
Debbie Rennie
Douglas Ridloff
Ian Sanborn
Rosa Lee Timm
Eddie Swayze
Clayton Valli

UK Sign Language Poets
Richard Carter
Dorothy Miles
Gary Quinn
Paul Scott
Donna Williams
John Wilson

Australia Sign Language Poet
Walter Kadiki

Brazilian Sign Language Poet
Fernanda de Araugo Machado

Canadian Sign Language Poets/Deaf Musicians
Janis Cripps
Jody Cripps
Pamela Witcher
Hodan Youssouf

Dutch Sign Language Poets
Wim Emmerik
Giselle Meyer

Italian Sign Language Poets
Rosaria Giuranna and Giuseppe Giuranna

Swiss Sign Language Poet
Rolf Lanicca

"Interpreter" YouTube video

"Fragile Earth" You Tube video

"Hades Ocean" You Tube video

"Song of the Journey" with Dangerous Signs (Facebook)