How to Communicate is a dynamic journey through language, community, and the evolution of an identity. Poet John Lee Clark combines innovative forms inspired by Braille writing with sensual poetic prose and sharp insights that reveal new narratives in nineteenth-century poetry. Challenging the limitations of the literary canon, Clark includes pioneering translations from American Sign Language and Protactile, a touch-based language.
The book embraces new linguistic possibilities emerging from Clark's unique perspective and his connection to a growing, inclusive community of activists. It explores the sorrow and transformations of family, celebrates the small joys of knitting and visiting a museum, and, once, confronts a ghost at a gas station. With humor and grace, Clark juxtaposes the assumptions of the illuminated and auditory world, finding beauty in the revelations of communication through touch: “All living and dead things shout at me / when I touch them.”
A rare work of transformation and essential discovery, How to Communicate is a brilliant debut that insists on the power of poetry.
Pages: 112, Year of Publication: 1222, Dimensions: 15.5x15.5cm
