"Deaf voices go missing like sound in space"
Poet Raymond Antrobus' brilliant poem, Dear Hearing World, calls us all out. Rightfully, so. Sharing stories and space informs, challenges and empowers us.
The most important part is that we respectfully listen to other people’s opinions and experiences.
Every Saturday morning, I get up at 8 a.m. to get to Edinburgh’s Central Library. I attend a reading group hosted by the Royal Literary Foundation, facilitated by Zebib Abraham, a fellow American. I leave the session motivated and curious every time.
The small group comprises people of different ages, backgrounds and races. No pre-work is required; you bring yourself and listen to Zebib read a short story and a poem. After each one, we discuss. The most important part is that we respectfully listen to other people’s opinions and experiences.
The nature of the group means everyone has shown up to evolve as humans and improve as writers. The level of comfort, trust and camaraderie that has grown surprised me. I have made friends I didn’t expect to make with people I would never have spoken to otherwise. I have discovered writers and poets who have taken me places, emotionally, that I didn’t expect to go.
The brilliant poem Dear Hearing World, by Raymond Antrobus,1 was one such poem. I got chills over the metaphors used about sound and silence. Hearing Raymond read the piece himself while signing. Moved me to my core.
In the video, Raymond Antrobus performs Dear Hearing World (which I’m not reading in my voiceover, as I encourage you to listen to it in the poet’s voice).
Dear Hearing World is from Raymond’s collection, The Perseverance (Penned in the Margins, UK 2018), this gorgeous collection was published in 2018, so I’m late to the party! It is definitely worth adding to your poetry library.
Raymond’s latest collection, ‘Signs, Music,’ (Picador 2024) SHORTLISTED FOR THE T.S. ELIOT PRIZE FOR POETRY & was the POETRY BOOK SOCIETY CHOICE. The collection reflects on imminent fatherhood and stepping into this role.
One of my reading group members has been partially deaf since birth. He shared how the piece spoke to his learning and literacy barriers. “How can he learn to read if he can’t hear? No one thought about that in the ‘60s. They just called us dumb.” This led to further discussion about the lived experiences of deaf people. It gave him the confidence to ask to bring a listening device to the table. For weeks, he never mentioned this. This powerful storytelling empowered him to ask. It helped us understand how to make the experience more enjoyable for him and allowed him to be heard.
Sharing stories and space informs, challenges and empowers us. It can help us understand things that just may not be on our radar. I joined the reading group to be a better writer. It has affirmed what I know and value: Sharing stories cultivates empathy.
She said she wanted people to know what it was like for her
I am a Strictly Come Dancing superfan. Rose Ayling-Ellis2 was the show’s first deaf contestant. She won the competition in 2022. I’ll never forget her stunning routine, which included a silent dance portion. It was another beautiful example of storytelling - through dance. She said she wanted people to know what it was like for her.
Read:
The Isolation of Being Deaf in Prison by Jeremy Woody from Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the 21st Century edited by Alice Wong
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Of all the people ever, here we are. Thank you for sharing time with me.
Raymond Antrobus MBE FRSL was born in London, Hackney to an English mother and Jamaican father. He is the author of poetry collections, The Perseverance (Penned In The Margins / Tin House, 2018), All The Names Given (Picador / Tin House, 2021) and Signs, Music (Picador / Tin House, 2024). Antrobus also writes for young readers. His debut children’s picture book ‘Can Bears Ski?’ is illustrated by Polly Dunbar and is published in the UK by Walker Books (2021) and in the US/Canada by Candle Wick Press (2020). It was selected as an Ezra Jack Keats honouree winner in 2021. In 2022 it was selected for a Read For Empathy (primary) Collection Award. His second picture book, ‘Terrible Horses’ (2024) is illustrated by Ken WIlson-Max and was awarded a Kirkus starred Review. Antrobus's poetry currently appears on the UK's GCSE National Curriculum. - (Source: Penned in the Margins UK)
Rose Lucinda Ayling-Ellis MBE is an English actress. Deaf since birth, she is a British Sign Language user. On television, she is best known for her role as Frankie Lewis in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2020–2022) and for winning the nineteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing with Giovanni Pernice in 2021; she was the programme's first deaf contestant. She has earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination, and is the recipient of the Visionary Honours for Inspirational Person of the Year. - (Source: Wikipedia)
Oh loved listening to this - your post and the amazing poem ❤️
that part about how y’all found out about your group member was partially deaf is just so telling of how stories can move us.
if he didn’t have the confidence to share it before, the story served as a microphone for him to share.
that’s such a moving experience that one can never forget so quickly.
curious, how did you discover this group meetups? did you just walk into it unintentionally?