SASL Newsletter - Fall 2018 Issue Issue 11 - Fall 2018 | Page 6

A Note from the President
By Samuel J. Supalla
Why Now a New Epic for American Sign Language?
For many readers of this newsletter, I am known as a master storyteller and have done both live
and videotaped performances over the years. I often like to draw from my identity as a culturally deaf
person when creating stories, and suffice to say that my present role as the President for the Society
for ASL organization influenced my performance held at St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada on
November 3, 2018. My experiences with this organization, especially the creation of a journal and
newsletter inspired me to create an ASL epic, Martha's Vineyard. I view this epic as a token of
appreciation for all the hard work that the editors have done for these publications. This includes
SASL's Board of Directors who have been faithful to the organization's mission. There are several
other reasons why I created the ASL epic, Martha's Vineyard.
The Martha’s Vineyard Epic Being Told in ASL
Stage at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Center
First, we all know that everybody loves stories, no matter what language. ASL is no exception to
this rule, and I am determined to let Martha's Vineyard teach the audience about our history and
future. This story will be the second of its kind for ASL. Dr. Andrew Byrne who leads the 'soon to be
published' ASL Literature Database for SASL has identified Gil Eastman's Epic: Gallaudet Protest
(1993, 2010) as the first ASL epic. Mr. Eastman successfully captured the spirit of the Gallaudet
student protest and its impact on society. I hope Martha's Vineyard creates a similar effect and makes
an important contribution to ASL literature.
Second, while Martha's Vineyard (a simple, yet strong title) may be well-known as a vacation
spot off the coast of Massachusetts, I wanted to highlight its important role in the history of deaf
people. I also drew on Nora Groce's 1985 book, Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary
Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, which sheds new light on social issues for both signers and scholars
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The Power of ASL
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Fall 2018 – Issue 11