ASL Day meets NaPoMo
ASL Poetry
April is National Poetry Month (NaPoMo) and American Sign Language (ASL) day is April 15th. What happens when you merge the two together?
You get ASL poetry. During this project, I selected five poets to participate in having their poems translated into ASL. They gladly agreed and these were the results.
About the ASL Translator:
Jan Morales is a proud deaf Long Island native, a baker, lover of travel, dogs, mermaids, computers, and movies. She is Karina G-Lopez's youngest sister and ASL teacher.
Vanessa Chica
Poet: Vanessa Chica
Poem: Tank of a Woman
Translated in ASL by Jannine Morales
About Vanessa Chica: Vanessa is an NYC educator, author, writer, poet, play-wright, fat activist, editor, and Founder of theWORDbox. She co-wrote and performed in a three woman play titled “Live Big Girl” debuted at The National Black Theatre. Her work has been published in The BX Files, The Abuela Stories Project, The New York City Writing Project, The Acentos Review and Great Weather For Media anthology. Go to Vanessachica.com for more info.
Peggy Robles-Alvarado
Poet: Peggy Robles-Alvarado
Poem: "Tías Rocio’s Advice To Her Nieces About
Disclosing Body Counts To Boyfriends"
Translated in ASL by Jannine Morales
About Peggy: Peggy is an NYC educator, author, award winning poet, 2021 Jerome Hill Foundation Fellow in Literature, a two- time Pushcart Prize nominee, and a 2020 Atticus Review Poetry Contest winner. She is also a BRIO award winner with fellowships from CantoMundo, Desert Nights Rising Stars, The Frost Place, VONA, Academy for Teachers and The Home School. Peggy is a three- time International Latino Book Award winner. Through Robleswrites Productions Inc., she created The Abuela Stories Project (2016), Mujeres, The Magic, The Movement, and The Muse (2017) and The “More Than Just…” Project (2020). For more info visit robleswrite.com.
Julissa Contreras
Poet: Julissa Contreras
Poem: Signs
Translated in ASL by Jannine Morales
About Julissa Contreras: Julissa is a Dominicana from the Bronx, host of the “Ladies Who Bronche” podcast and creator of the YouTube hit “Shit Spanish Girls Say”. She is a storyteller, writer, poet, actor, community builder, and educator. Julissa focuses on elevating necessary dialogue through creating connected experiences. Julissa was a writer for Mitu’s “the Kat Call” (season 3) and Spotify’s “Lenny Says” as part of the Spotlight program. Julissa’s work as been commissioned and featured in Atlantic Theater’s African Carribean Mixfest, Latinx Playwright’s Circle's Greater Good Commision, Intar Theater, Harlem 9’s 48 Hours in el Bronx, and the BX Writer’s Year Gone Hazy anthology. For more info visit www.julissacontreras.com
Billy Tuggle
Poet: Billy Tuggle
Poem: Haiku "Take my Coffee Black"
Translated in ASL by Jannine Morales
About Billy: a South Side Chicago native; a writer, vocalist, performance poet and event producer; a mentor, an activist and HipHop culturalist; recorded, published, a poetry slam champion.
reg e gaines
Poet: reg e gaines
Poem: "Hard Work" snippet
Translated in ASL by Jannine Morales
reg e gains is a two time Tony Award nominated playwright, Grammy Award nominated lyricist, author of four poetry books and editor of the 2015 poetry anthology, and A Year In Ink, scored the PBS documentary. He is also the director of the NYC Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Connect The Lots, director/ creative writing workshop facilitator of Through The Looking Glass, Center Theater Group, Los Angeles California, director of Lyricist Fellowship Lab, Teaching Firm of America Charter School, Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, Is Poetry Theater? workshop facilitator, Bowery Poetry Club, and writer, director, producer, The 88, a new musical with music by Calvin Gaines.
