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Finding your voice requires acceptance of who you are. Discovering that can be a challenging and interesting journey. Aren’t we all capable of excellence? Through their unique perspectives, these four D/deaf artists and authors have redefined the relationship between sound and silence—between English and American Sign Language (ASL). Their journey offers profound insights that challenge conventional notions and inspire a deeper understanding of the intrinsic connection between sound and identity. Discover with us these extraordinary individuals.
Cristine Sun Kim: Deaf Artist
Cristine Sun Kim, born in 1980 to hearing parents, is a Deaf artist. Cristine considers ASL her first language. She kept searching for her voice despite the challenge of not being heard. Her journey is significant, impacting many with its lessons of resilience and determination.
Cristine once believed sound would never be part of her life. She has spent a lifetime understanding and expressing sound. She has explored it through music and art, combining them and understanding where she fits in a hearing world.
Her parents opted to learn English and ASL for both of their deaf daughters. Cristine said in an interview, “It [was] really one of the biggest examples of respect […] for me and my sister. We felt seen, we felt valued, we felt important. Like, I am here, I exist. And growing up, that was an important feeling to have. And I think it helped me to develop a strong self-identity” (source: The World).
Christine's TED Talk clearly expresses her intimate relationship with sound: “Now the sound has come into my art territory. Is it going to further distance me from art? I realized that doesn’t have to be the case at all. I actually know sound. I know it so well that it doesn't have to be something just experienced through the ears. It could be felt actually, or experienced as a visual, or even as an idea.”
Learn more about Cristine Sun Kim here: https://ghebaly.com/artists/christine-sun-kim/
Watch her TED Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/christine_sun_kim_the_enchanting_music_of_sign_language
Evelyn Glennie: Deaf Percussionist
Evelyn Glennie said, “Silence is one of the loudest sounds. The opposite of sound isn't silence.”
Evelyn was born in 1965 to music-loving farmers in Scotland. She began losing her hearing at the age of eight. With the support of her parents and her music teacher, Ron Forbes, she learned to feel sound physically.
Shannon Stocker penned the story of Evelyn's life in Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion, beautifully illustrated by Devon Holzwarth. Evelyn's powerful message is, “I want to teach the world to LISTEN!” This resonates deeply. In 2023, she established a charitable foundation focused on promoting active listening, improving communication, and strengthening societal connections.
Learn more about Evelyn Glennie’s work here: https://www.evelyn.co.uk/
Sarah Novic: Deaf Writer, Translator, and Professor
“Even when I was unwittingly fighting against it: I would not have become a writer without ASL. For some, this seems counterintuitive since I write in English. But language bears more than the work of communicating with the mainstream world; it is also the internal vehicle for our thoughts and feelings, the mechanism through which we understand ourselves. Without first having had ASL, I would not have understood myself as a person with a story to tell” (source: The Guardian).
Sara was born in 1987, and her first language was English. She experienced hearing loss during her teenage years. Initially, she tried to hide her condition, but as time passed, it became evident that she faced challenges and needed intervention. To find her voice, Sara had to come to terms with her deafness. When looking at her biggest literary influences, Sara says, “I can look at the successes of these literary giants and extract a hope that English, with a little work, can carry the Deaf voice, too.”
For more on Sarah’s work, visit https://sara-novic.com/
Sarah’s most recent book, True Biz, was a New York Times Best Seller and a Reese’s Book Club pick.
Raymond Antrobus: Deaf Poet and Author
Raymond Antrobus, a Deaf British poet and children's book author, has published two poetry collections, The Perseverance (2018) and All the Names Given (2021), as well as a children's book entitled Can Bears Ski? (2020).
His Deaf identity is an intricate part of his power as an author. Although he was deaf, no one realized this for the first seven years of his life. His parents attributed his struggles to learning difficulties. In an interview with NPR, Raymond opened up about this experience. He recalled that his parents first realized he had a hearing disability when they got a very loud phone that Raymond was the only one not to hear.
Below is an excerpt from one of Raymond’s poems:
“My Dad never called me deaf,
even when he saw the audiogram.
He'd say, you're limited,
so you can turn the TV up.”
—excerpt from The Perseverance
Learn more about Raymond Antrobus here: https://www.aslpicturebooks.com/post/eafness-in-a-hearing-world-through-the-lens-of-raymond-antrobus
The experiences and perspectives of artists such as Cristine Sun Kim, Evelyn Glennie, Sarah Novic, and Raymond Antrobus shed light on the multifaceted relationships between sound, ASL, and artistic expression within the Deaf community. Their journeys exemplify resilience, creativity, and determination in navigating a world often dominated by sound-centric norms. By delving into sound through visual and tactile mediums, these artists challenge traditional conceptions of art, music, and communication, offering new pathways for self-expression and connection.
Their stories serve as powerful reminders of the diverse ways in which individuals can find their voices, both literally and metaphorically, and how these voices can resonate within and beyond the Deaf and artistic communities. They inspire others to embrace and celebrate the rich tapestry of human expression by supporting one another in our likeness and differences.
What resonates with you the most about the experiences of these remarkable D/deaf artists and authors? How can their stories inspire us to challenge our perceptions of sound, silence, and identity?
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Kathleen Marcath, the founder of ASLPictureBooks.com and author of "My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me," is a passionate advocate for bilingual education and ASL literacy, holding a bachelor's degree in Deaf Community Studies. Inspired by the need for inclusive children's books, she created a picture book where characters use sign language on each page, promoting the limitless potential of ASL for d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing and curious children.