 Scroll down for high-res downloads. Suddenly Slow: Poems John Lee Clark ISBN-13: 978-0-9798816-1-9 5.5 x 8.5 trade paperback, 32 pages. $8. Book orders: www.handtype.com/orders Handtype Press, LLC PO Box 3941 Minneapolis, MN 55403-0941 USA www.handtype.com |
SUDDENLY SLOW: POEMS a new chapbook by John Lee Clark for immediate release Media contact Raymond Luczak (PR@handtype.com) Phone: 612-424-4042 Web: handtype.com/books/suddenlyslow Handtype Press recently released Suddenly Slow: Poems, a limited edition chapbook that showcases sixteen poems by the award-winning deaf-blind poet, John Lee Clark. He was born deaf and became progressively blind in early adolescence. Some of his poems deal directly with deaf-blindness, while others are about broader topics but always with his unique, often playful perspective. Through his poems, "Clark is making sense of a world that comes to him differently," says Morgan Grayce Willow, the author of two books of poetry. "All we need do is place our trust in the crook of the arm of this deaf-blind poet; he then leads us into a world where 'there is no answer in sight.' This is a world of broadened vision emerging from narrower sight, of heightened passion blossoming from experience at a slower pace. Each lyric along the journey into this poet’s 'kind of light' rewards our trust." Those who are deaf-blind, like Clark, are bound to identify intimately with his work. Doug Milligan, a deaf-blind poet and the author of Dark-Silence, has this to say about his fellow poet: "I am honored to count John Lee Clark as one of my contemporaries in the poetry of the DeafBlind community. He writes such thoughtful, such fine poems that I really think everybody, everybody will enjoy them." Unlike the work of some previous deaf-blind poets, however, Clark's poems hold genuine literary merit. Pia Taavila, who is professor of English at Gallaudet University and the author of Moon on the Meadow among other books, praises Clark's brilliant use of the English language. She says, "There are double layers and more of meaning in metaphors, in quick-minded word play and in the skill with which Clark describes the world as he 'sees' it." For these reasons, Taavila calls Suddenly Slow: Poems a "delicious" collection of poems that are "heartbreakingly beautiful." Among Clark's accomplishments is being the first member of the signing community, deaf or deaf-blind, to be published in theprestigious magazine Poetry, having a poem of his selected for and broadcast on the "Poem of the Day" radio program on Martha Stewart, and winning a Best Sports Poem prize from Kent State University. He was also featured at the Deaf Way II International Cultural Arts Festival. But his interest in poetry extends beyond his own work, as he has edited Deaf American Poetry, the first definitive anthology of its kind and a significant contribution to the literary canon, which will be coming out this March from Gallaudet University Press. About Handtype Press Handtype Press is a company that showcases the finest literature and art created by signers, Deaf and hearing alike, or about the Deaf or signing experience the world over. Their web site is www.handtype.com. |
High-resolution (300 dpi) images are available for download below.
 |
 |
 |
|
The book cover
in full size. |
John Lee Clark, in color.
Photograph by Louis M. Miranda |
Site copyright © 2010 by Handtype Press, LLC.
All rights reserved.