The Deaf Way II Anthology: A Literary Collection by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Writers

by Tonya M. Stremlau (Editor)

In July 2002, the second Deaf Way Conference and Festival took place at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., attracting more than 9,000 people worldwide. Researchers, artists, performers, and others converged to create a singular blend of scholarship and social interaction, which inspired The Deaf Way II Anthology. The Deaf Way II Anthology brings together stellar contributions by 16 international writers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This remarkable collection features poetry, essays, short stories, and one play, all of which offer thought-provoking perspectives on elements from the personal universes of these gifted authors. Many are United States writers well-known for their past publications, such as Douglas Bullard, Willy Conley, Christopher Heuer, and Raymond Luczak, while the outstanding work of John Lee Clark, volume editor Tonya Stremlau, Melissa Whalen, and several others have been collected for the first time in this volume. The international contributions further distinguish this anthology, ranging from poetry by Romanian Carmen Cristiu, verse by Sibylle Gurtner May from Switzerland, to a play by Nigerian Sotonwa Opeoluwa. All of the writers showcased in The Deaf Way II Anthology portray the Deaf experience with unmatched authenticity, presenting a perfect introduction to the Deaf world. Simultaneously, their work demonstrates that deaf and hard of hearing people can write at the highest aesthetic level and offer invaluable insights on the complete human spectrum.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2002

Reviews

[Anna]

Mostly interesting. Some I loved.

[Ricky Taylor]

It is a collection of Deaf writers. Incredibly boring. With the exception of one Nigerian writer, the rest is so dry and slow. I would not recommend this book to anyone else in particular.

[Leigh Ann]

Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. This book is listed on my ranked list of books with deaf characters.

This anthology of works by deaf authors contains poetry, short stories, and essays. I’m only counting the short stories toward the ranking. A couple of satires and some drama, as well as mystery and metaphor—what’s not to love? There are 7 short stories:

“Listening for the Same Thing” by Christopher Jon Heuer;
“Borrowed Time” by Carl Wayne Denney;
“Yet: Jack Can Hear!” by Douglas Bullard;
“How to Become a Backstabber” and “Depths of the River” by Raymond Luczak;
“Every Man Must Fall” by Willy Conley (excerpted from The Deaf Heart); and
“A Nice Romantic Dinner” by Tonya Marie Stremlau.

[Kathryn]

This one was ok; I enjoyed some stories and authors much more than others. Some stories were whiney poor mes or Deaf Power political..stuff. Others were deep introspective pieces with new perspectives and great stories to tell.

[Carly]

I don't usually include books that I read for school on Goodreads, but I'm including this one because I genuinely enjoyed it and was eager to read it. A great collection of poems, essays, and short stories on a variety of topics by Deaf writers.

[Summer]

My sister is an author is the text so I think it is amazing!! Go read the passages by Pamela Wright-Meinhardt. Highly recommended!