I marveled at my good fortune as I got on the Alaska Airlines Flight #312 en route to San Jose, California. I am to tell stories in exclusive American Sign Language (ASL) at ASL Expo in Santa Clara tomorrow.
The title for my first story will be "From Socrates to Stokoe," citing that Socrates was the first hearing person who questions whether signs by the Deaf be replaced by words in Plato's book, Cratylus and that Stokoe was the last hearing person who answers to the oldest question about our language and culture. It's going to be a philosophical adventure for my audience who will think about who we are, what we do know, and what we should do.
A few hours after that, I will tell about "The Making of ASL Dragon." I will explain how I first came up with ASL Dragon, which was told at the 9th Annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival back in 1988, and how it had undergone evolution and revolution in my storytelling art.
Now my airplaine is leaving, so I will stop here. My travel as Ka'lalau, my Hawai'ian identity meaning a happy wanderer, is in keeping with a strategy of storytelling innovation that has aimed at capturing as many people as possible and has also inspired the slogan: "Use ASL to tell stories and to create some change."
Friday, April 04, 2008
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6 comments:
Good luck, sir. Lucky deaf people at Santa Clara will watching your ASL Dragon story before us.. Smile.. Really looking forward to having you in here, South Carolina. Kudos! Coach Creech
Who will babysit Kula?
That's awesome! So now you're taking the role of Gisbatzed in a manner, eh? You are in a way similar to the bards of old who travelled all over their respective areas to tell sagas, songs, etc through oral (through-the-air) tradition, so to speak (sign. Not only that, they pass on their skills to other people.
Those who are well versed in literature and history know what oral tradition is, but when put in ASL perspective the phrase "oral tradition" is somehow odd.
Shel
HOW EXCITING!!! Are you on schedule to do same thing at other ASL EXPO? I certainly hope so. HINT! HINT!!!!
Have a great trip! I cant wait to see "The Making of ASL Dragon."
Hope Kula is with you? There is a website where u can get ID for Kula, only 38.00.
-Ali
all power to you
wish you happy traveling
yeah, educate folks as you go
we do need more good storytellers...go at them !
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