How to Communicate: Poems

by John Lee Clark

Winner of the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for Poetry

A stunning debut from an award-winning DeafBlind poet, “ How to Communicate is a masterpiece” (Kaveh Akbar). Formally restless and relentlessly instructive, How to Communicate is a dynamic journey through language, community, and the unfolding of an identity. Poet John Lee Clark pivots from inventive forms inspired by the Braille slate to sensuous prose poems to incisive erasures that find new narratives in nineteenth-century poetry. Calling out the limitations of the literary canon, Clark includes pathbreaking translations from American Sign Language and Protactile, a language built on touch. How to Communicate embraces new linguistic possibilities that emanate from Clark’s unique perspective and his connection to an expanding, inclusive activist community. Amid the astonishing task of constructing a new canon, the poet reveals a radically commonplace life. He explores grief and the vagaries of family, celebrates the small delights of knitting and visiting a museum, and, once, encounters a ghost in a gas station. Counteracting the assumptions of the sighted and hearing world with humor and grace, Clark finds beauty in the revelations of communicating through “All things living and dead cry out to me / when I touch them.” A rare work of transformation and necessary discovery,  How to Communicate  is a brilliant debut that insists on the power of poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Disability, Nonfiction, Memoir

112 pages, Hardcover

First published December 6, 2022

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lively and diverse book of poems with many different forms and styles. The poet is deaf and blind and the poems translated from ASL, as well as the protactile poems (done through touches on the body) were fascinating and beautiful.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Communicate is a really interesting collection of poems that is well worth picking up if you are looking to read more in the realm of ability/disability or like seeing experimentation with form in poetry! Lots of interesting things going on here with language and words and how we communicate, as you can tell from just the title. For example, the first section, Slateku, mentions a form of palindrome that is possible in Braille when you are writing two things at the same time when making impressions on one side of the page to be read on the other. My favorite poems were probably the ones that refer to deaf and blind historical figures, such as "Line of Descent," "Etienne De Fay," "Nicholas Saunderson," and "Morrison Heady." There are a couple that speak to the way the author's ability is sometimes underestimated, like in "On My Return from a Business Trip" when he is offered assistance, a wheelchair, directions, etc., all of are unneeded and actually slow him down, and another poem that says "The Reporter Is In Awe / of a DeafBlind man / who cooks without burning himself! / Helen Keller is to blame." This also includes erasure poems that transform "problematic poems by famous and less famous known poets to tell a different story" and some translations of works done in American Sign Language and Protacticle which were fabulous. John Lee Clark has a distinctive voice and style(s) and I'm curious to read more from him!

(thanks to the publisher on netgalley for the arc!)

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner of the 2023 Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, John Lee Clark explores dynamic aspects of communication and identity. Clark a DeafBlind poet, transports readers through the world in his six-part-collection How to Communicate. Clark’s writing talents extend through works of long-form, erasures (which draw upon text a century old or older), and free verse. A strong erasure is “The Rebuttal.” The lines: “Guide, passion, catch what / Hath no speech.” Clark builds this theme of visibility in the Author’s Note, noting changes to the written punctuation in English Braille, American Edition, (EBAE) which also drastically impacts the stylistic details in his poetry. Another standout is “Sorrow and Joy” where the block form is written in repeated sentences causing the reader to examine both sorrowfully and joyfully. “My Braille student showed up forty-five minutes early today. My Braille student showed up forty-five minutes early today.” Clark reminds us that hands impact many people in our world directly and indirectly. In “Rebuilding” his grandfather’s hands and the communication they expressed are the focus: “My grandfather spanked her. … / He didn’t have the words to tell her. / His hands creaked to life.” There are people who interact and communicate with the DeafBlind like teachers “Mrs. Schulz”, airport assistants “On My Return from a Business Trip,” and politicians “The Politician.” The miscommunication in “The Politician” adds humor in the collection: “You will have a constipation future … I’m your constipation senator.” Clark reinforces that poetry in language and genre is universal.

[Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐
Oh my god...

This collection of poetry is an absolutely awe-inspiring work of emotional vulnerability. John Lee Clark, as a deafblind individual, crafts impactful poems that immerse the reader in an alternative form of life that so rarely gets attention. Clark conveys emotional depth, humanity, sadness, and hope within his work, and I can only be so grateful for his contribution to the world of poetry with his words.

[Gregory Duke]

I appreciate this simply because of its intriguing structures hinging on the poet's status as DeafBlind. I didn't find really any of the thirty pages I read interesting or moving except to see them as a new way of perceiving the world. But I feel no desire to finish.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read this almost exclusively while dozing off, I was likely not in the proper headspace to fully appreciate it. At the same time, the mental acuity needed to make sense of some of these was a wonderful precursor to sleep.

"An Honest Man" got me fucked up.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Really enjoyable and immensely insightful. Very thought provoking and accomplishes its mission beautifully. Unfortunately some poems just didn’t work as well for me as others. Loved how quintessentially Minnesotan some were.

[Alisha (booksmellz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Communicate is a poetry and prose collection by DeafBlind poet John Lee Clark. Clark writes with forms inspired by the Braille slate, prose, incisive erasures, and translations from both American Sign Language and Protactile, a language built on touch.

I’m relatively fluent in American Sign Language, and have worked with those who are legally blind or have low vision while working in the library, but I haven’t worked with anyone who was both. I really enjoyed this book and seeing the point of view of someone who is DeafBlind.

John Lee Clark changes the way we approach, feel, and talk about things we probably would have never thought twice about before.

One of my favorite poems that really made me sit and think was titled On My Return from a Business Trip. It displayed the many interactions the author has had while at the airport - how helpful people wanted to be, but how they were actually more of the opposite.

I enjoyed the section broken up throughout the volume that showed the many different types of poetry and prose Clark has written. I enjoyed some more than others, but I still walked away with something from each one.

*Thank you W.W. Norton Company and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a page-turner, eye-opener, read-again and be ready to think kind of book by
John Lee Clark is a second-generation deaf-blind writer. For those like me who know little about braille, why one uses capital D for Deaf poet, and only know how to admire ASL signing, but know little about what the actual language it is, this book will sensitize you to thinking about language and communication when the "usual" we often take for granted, eyes and ears, are not available for the traditional methods of reading and listening. I didn't know there was such a thing as "touch" translation as in Protactile communication.

That aside, the metaphors are stunning... "A limb/that knocks my head because I didn't duck?
That turns my heart into a chainsaw." The metaphor of knitting... and a fabulous ekphrastic poem about the sculpture of the matador by Jacques Lipschitz. All this, without sight, hearing.
The cleverness, depth and ingenuosity are astounding, for instance the section of "erasures" Part III. The Fruit I Eat : In the erasures he addresses ableism and distantism by forcing problematic poems by famous and less-known poets to tell a different story. We discussed in the library groups on Wed. and Thurs "The Rebuttal" and the 1827 poem that was used. The terse selection of just one word per line of the old poem of 8 stanzas produces an 8 line poem where indeed, the compression we seek in poetry, squeezes the heart to open more fully. So much more to say. High recommend.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

“How to Communicate” is one of the more interesting contemporary poetry discussions I’ve read. The author, John Lee Clark, is “DeafBlind” (to use his term). Therefore, he brings a unique perspective to the table. He brings a lot of experimentation into this collection: poems “inspired by the Braille slate to sensuous prose poems to incisive erasures that find new narratives in nineteenth-century poetry.”

One of the more impactful poems for me was one in which Clark described lashing out in anger at his girlfriend while she attempted to learn Braille (she ended up forgiving them and they got married). Here’s a snippet:

“During the two years I was alone I read and read and read

The ASL words Braille and Forgive are almost the same so it was like I was saying forgive me while brushing my fingers over the dots

Forgive me forgive me forgive me

I was wrong

She did master Braille

The hardest most advanced kind”

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️ This was such an interesting one for me because I don’t really read poetry often and it doesn’t always work for me. However this one was interesting! It was written by a DeafBlind poet and spanned such a range of form and content. The poems had a lot to say about his own personal experiences, identity, and communication. There was a variety of types of poetry as well including reimaginings of existing poems in this author’s perspective and written translations of ASL or Protactile poems in addition to his own original work. While I found all the poems thought provoking, there were some I felt deeply connected to and others I genuinely just didn’t understand (possibly due to cultural/linguistic differences and just inexperience reading poetry, but I’m also an idiot). Poetry is just such a subjective art form, and not all of these worked for me, but it did have some standouts for me that I could see myself returning to again. 🤕🌤️

[_Asa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. What an absolute pleasure of a read! This is the first collection I've read in a while that simply felt important. I found myself surprised and even ashamed that I haven't read more poetry by Deafblind poets, or anyone in the blind and low vision community for that matter. This book came to my attention at the recommendation of a couple fantastic authors I worked with for disability pride month, and I really found it to be a thoughtful collection with more than a couple gems within its pages.

I truly enjoyed how much was packed into this short volume: from ASL translation work, to written description of a "protactile poem" that Clark shared with two friends, to erasure poems reworking problematic pieces from the canon...at the very least this book feels like like a title that is worth discussing with your fellow readers.

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every section of this book is mind bending in a new way; amazing at demonstrating ways of apprehending the world that are far different than my own. Not just describing them, but showing in the language what is going on. Unpredictable, brilliant. I can't wait to read TOUCH THE FUTURE.

Some highlights for me were all of "Slateku," "On My Return from a Business Trip," "Clamor" and "Sorry and Joy" (!) (among others)

I also saw some of the pro-tactile poetry on youtube and that is so amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITFHN...

"Let go of my arm. I will not wait
until I'm the last person on the plane.
Go away. I never asked for assistance.
What? I don't want that wheelchair.
I'm fine. Let me walk.
Let me feel the spring
of my fiberglass cane off the walls."

(from "On My Return from a Business Trip")

[Olly Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took ASL 1-4 my entire time in high school, the only club I was in during high school was the ASL honor society and I felt such an amazing sense of acceptance and community there. Seeing the TIMBER story translated from protactile sign where the lumberjack signs the letters against the leaves of the tree to tell it to fall was not only beautiful but reminded me of learning practicing and signing the story to younger students over the years adding a sense of nostalgia to the stunning storytelling. This collection of poetry some translated from ASL some from protactile sign and some as erasure poems was a showing of blunt and earnest artistic skill. The erasure poems having originally been ableist and celebrated regardless having been used by a Deafblind man as an art form was particularly tone setting for me.

[Rebekah Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book of poems I have read in the last 4 yrs.

I love how John explains the ableism in these "progressive" days with phrases like "I address ableism and distantism.....there is a practical reason. Very little contemporary poetry is available in Braille."

His intersectional perspective on disability as a Deaf Blind poet lends an authoritative voice to his accountability to mistakes he made as a male in his relationships and the joy he experienced in forgiveness and love in his relationships.

Particularly loved his knowledge of disability justice and history weaved in his personal history as a change maker for disability visibility inside the disability movement.

Powerful.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems by DeafBlind poet, John Lee Clark, about communication, identity, and community.

from On My Return from a Business Trip: "Let me feel the air get sucked away / just before the shuttle pushes it back. / No need, no need. I can step off / by myself. Let me go. Let me go home."

from The Interaction: ""Now fingers eagerly bent light aside. That touch slips, falls, falls, pursues / The deep sun. Caught unclothed, the light comes."

from Goldilocks in Denial: "Goldilocks was in deep denial and refused to use a white cane / That's how she got lost in the woods stumbling over tree roots and things / Then she hit a wall / A house / Door"

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these poems so much, especially those that expressed the frustration of DeafBlind existence being treated as a miracle and not just part of an everyday world. Being a CODA, I get a glimpse into the Deaf community and I know they're often treated like they're an inspiration for existing while simultaneously being told they can't do anything above a basic job because they're Deaf. It's so frustrating! If you get this book, be sure to find the translated poems if you can. I was able to picture them in my head because ASL is my heritage, but trust me when I say ASL poetry is better seen than read. Definitely pick up this book when you get a chance!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astounding use of both form and language creating something I’ve never seen on the page before, text that reads like its tracing its way across my hands, my body, tactile even across the limits of ink and paper. I’m a CODA (or child of deaf adults) so while I don’t know protactile, so much of this, and the way it translates ASL and Deaf identity and community made me feel, for lack of a better word, seen. Maybe felt is better. Yes let’s go with felt. A little closed fist drumming knuckles over a heartbeat.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

I didn't think I was a poetry person, but I really enjoyed this book! I got into the swing of the poetry more and more as the book progressed

Some sections stuck out to me more than others. The original poems were more enjoyable to me personally than the translations. I really enjoyed the tidbits of Deaf and DeafBlind culture.

This book was extra special for me because I know some of the people in the book - the DBMinn poem made me very happy.

[atito · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is sort of all right & better than the first few pages had me believe--i liked the translations especially as they were not just a history of ableism & but also one of blocked or transferred perception--which might as well be the history of poetry and so a gorgeous fit for john lee clark's project

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a varied collection from DeafBlind poet John Lee Clark. I loved the exploration of different forms via translations of his poetry from Braille, ASL, and Protactile. Intimate and informative.

[Chloe Galasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is art. Clark expresses experience through wit and creativity. He transforms history with his own experience. My favorite part of the book is the collection of prose, particularly his self portrait. I learned and laughed reading this book

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much not what I was expecting. A lot of silly nonsensical poems but some that were quite profound and allowed for deeper reflection with their meaning. The author being DeafBlind definitely brings a new perspective to the words on the page. Overall, a fun, quick read.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a book to read once, so I have read only once of many times. Most of the works call for reflection and examination of the poem, one’s self, the world. -Jack, HH

[Ally Muterspaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are pleasurable works. Unique in their tactile sense of communication.

[strôbeari · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of honest poems, exploring love and language and facing the self within a complicated body. I ended up buying a copy so I could share pieces with my students.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first physical books I've read in more than a year.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A double decker thumbs up from me (genuinely though).

[Ashley Bostrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite poems: To Ask, A DeafBlind Poet, & Order.