That Poetry was DEAF, yo! Really- it was...

Friday October 10th, Columbia College held a symposium that featured Peter Cook, an ASL (American Sign Language) poet and storyteller (he is also a professor at Columbia), and his hearing collaborator, Kenny Lerner. These two men are "The Flying Words Project", created by Kenny and Peter in 1984. In this hour and a half presentation, a number of poems were told in the ASL language, coupled with movement, spoken word, mime and gestures. By combining humor, drama, political commentary and more, stories were told in a way that made me feel like a kid again, watching a cartoon for the first time. They offered explanations behind some of these stories, like where the idea originated, and how often and best Peter and Kenny work together. I was in awe with the majority of the presentation. It was amazing. It was beautiful. 

Poems told by way of their collaborated talents and imaginations were unlike anything I've seen. The closest thing I can compare it to is a book being made into a movie... but it is more than that! With different languages intertwined and intersected and taken from, the words not only came alive, but took on a life of their own.  The words were literal actions- each word, a painting or photograph of a river from the seat of a canoe. Each word brought us up close and personal with flying birds and allowed us a peek at what air looks like. After this experience, I visualized seeing these same words on a sheet of paper: colorless. Who knew little four, five, or six-lettered words were capably of expressing so much off of the page?

Peter Cook is an amazing storyteller. Kenny Lerner has the perfect poetic audial voice. To do it justice, I encourage you to check out the link I've included. First off, it is a 58 minute video and I do not expect you to watch all of it. I would like to highlight one of the poems I watched. 

I will add, too, the poems/stories change as time changes/passes. While this piece has the same name, it is not exactly the same poem I watched.

The performance on youtube was sponsored by The University of California's Department of Literature on May 23, 2001.  If you are so inclined, please watch the introduction and the first piece, (which is comical, geared more toward a younger crowd). (Approximately 8:30 minutes total) Otherwise, I encourage starting at approximately 3:30, (which includes the last part of the introduction) and the first piece. The whole performance is pretty cool, and if you have the time, I encourage you to enjoy more of it.  (Please click on the Title above to watch the video.)