I always knew about sign language. For never knowing any deaf people or seeing much sign language it was a peculiar standard to have.  In fifth grade my best friend and I poured over an ASL dictionary learning words fifth graders love–fat, sex, and other taboos. My school reference book had the ASL alphabet on the inside cover. Without trying I could fingerspell and tell someone to go to hell.

Then came high school. My school had a strong ASL program… for no particular reason. Sure, there was the Deaf School downtown, but we were in the suburbs. No other school in the district had two teachers for such a niche language (we only had one German teacher and one French teacher). I’d never considered any other language with serious intentions. It was always going to be ASL.

Despite my history with the language, I had never explored the culture–I didn’t know there even was a culture. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that ASL is unique, beautiful, profound language with nuance and complexity beyond what any spoken language can capture. I had no idea that Deaf (with a capital “D”) people had their own fascinating culture and intricate history. I certainly didn’t expect to be studying and writing about Deaf history ten years later!

This website chronicles my current journey writing a novel about the origins of Deaf Culture in America. On this blog I will post current research and musings as well as my odd “flavor of the week” obsessions. So button up your spencers, grab your smelling salts, and remember your antihistamines, we’re going deep into the dusty, oft forgotten, pages of the past!