World View - Raymond Luczak
Short biography of Raymond Luczak:
Raymond Luczak, number seven in a family of nine children, grew up deaf in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but it wasn’t until Gallaudet University when he finally blossomed. After graduating he moved to New York City where he lived for seventeen years and became a writer with five books published and thirteen stageplays produced. In 2000 he became a filmmaker with his full-length film Ghosted, which is now in its final stages of post-production. This eventually led him to direct the hugely popular DVD known as Manny ASL: Stories in American Sign Language. His two full-length documentaries are Guy Wonder: Stories & Artwork and Nathie: No Hand-Me-Downs, both available on DVD. Gallaudet University Press will bring out his sixth book, When I am Dead: The Writings of George M. Teegarden, in Spring 2007. His novel Men with Their Hands just won first place in the Project: QueerLit 2006 Contest, which Suspect Thoughts Press will publish in the spring of 2008. His web site is www.raymondluczak.com.
What did I have for breakfast this morning?
A bowl of Cheerios with 8th Continent Original Soymilk, a glass of pulpy orange juce, and a 300-mg capsule of St. John's Wort.
What is my usual day?
I have been doing a lot of writing for SIGNews; researching for publishing opportunities and whatnot; maintaining correspondence as president for the Minnesota Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf (MNRAD), a Deaf GLBT social organization in the state of Minnesota; editing DVDs for replication; preparing pieces and articles for submission; rehearsing for my next reading; and learning how to cook. Each day can vary dramatically from the next.
Describe myself in five words?
Storyteller in need of art.
What am I working on at the moment?
Piecing together the stories, poems, interviews, and essays for my upcoming anthology EYES OF DESIRE 2: A DEAF GLBT READER.
Sum up my work in five words?
Art rules in my creativity.
Do I think that the attitude towards Disability/Deaf Arts has changed over the last ten years?
Yes and no. I once had an agent tell me bluntly about my work: "You write so beautifully, but disability doesn't sell." While mainstream publishers still shy more or less from disability (aside from books on depression, which unfortunately sells too well), I see a lot more opportunities growing outside the box, so to speak. My novel Men with Their Hands (which is about the social changes within a deaf GLBT community in New York City from 1975 to 2002) was handled by two agents and rejected more than 25 times before it managed to win first place in the QueerLit 2006 Contest. I think that those who are genuine about clarity of communication within the arts, are far more embracing of disabled and Deaf artists, so it is through these people that many of us get opportunities to explore.
What was my childhood ambition?
When I was younger, I wanted to be famous for my writing. I've discovered that fame is truly overrated; it may introduce you to some truly dazzling people who might not have been interested in meeting you otherwise, but fame doesn't always pay the bills. I think that if I were better known outside the Deaf and disabled community, I might have a stronger chance of making more money.
What is the future of Disability Arts/Deaf Arts?
I think there is a very strong future, especially among the baby boom generation born in the ten years after World War II ended. Many of them will age and find that disability is part of the deal, and hopefully, they'll grow to accept disability as a reality and therefore seek to learn more about it beyond the pathological view of it. That is where art comes in, and can leave a huge impact on how we can view ourselves beyond the pale of our own physical differences.
Who was my role model and why?
When I was young, I thought Agatha Christie was something close to God. How could any one person write so many brilliant mysteries, and get them all published? The publishing process had seemed so mysterious to me in those days. Three decades later I know I'm totally inept when it comes to creating plausible murder mysteries, but she taught me the value of a steady, firm hand when writing. I really should leaf through her books again.
If I could invite any four people from the past or present to a dinner party, who would I have?
Oscar Wilde, a brilliant writer and wit who'd have truly appreciated how times have changed for gay people; Sylvia Plath, an American poet who allowed herself to suffer too much for her work and who might be shocked by how her work is regarded today; Carl Theodor Dryer, a Danish filmmaker whose vision, starting with his silent masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc to his final film Gertrud, continues to keep me in thrall; and Laurent Clerc, a Deaf guy who didn't truly realize how much in his hands was the future of ASL when he crossed the Big Pond to America. That he would forever change the international Deaf community.
What's my favorite piece of art or theatre in the world and why?
If I *had* to choose, I'd probably go with Georges-Pierre Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, which is now housed in the Chicago Art Institute. It is painted in the "pointillist" style, which means that each stroke is a dot or very, very small daubs, much like the dots you see up close in a newspaper photograph, but if you stand a certain distance from it, your eyes mix the colors optically. Its sheer size and ambition and composition is just staggering to absorb. Pictures do not do this painting justice; you have to be there in person to experience it fully. I can see why he continues to inspire painters all over the world in spite of his very small output.
If I could change one thing in the world, what would it be and why?
Global warming! We need to reduce our CO2 emissions down to zero, or the future of our planet will be in greater danger than any wars being fought. It is the biggest crisis facing mankind, and that we're not paying more attention to this issue worries me a great deal.
Describe my most memorable experience?
I've had so many over the course of my life, but since this is a British site, I'll focus on something that might be of interest. When I was in the UK in the summer of 2005, I was having a hard time following British Sign Language (BSL) the first few days. I could see BSL users communicating among themselves, and even though I had mastered the BSL alphabet a few months before crossing the Big Pond, I couldn't quite follow the rhythm of their signing. Watching BBC shows and hearing films based in England prior to arrival had attuned me to how hearing Brits talked, but I'd never made the connection between their speaking rhythms and the BSL users's signing rhythms. While in London, I happened to watch a BSL interpreter at work, and while I watched the hearing person talk, I paid attention to the interpreter. The signing and speaking rhythms were virtually identical! Understanding that BSL users would convey similar accentual rhythms in their signing made a vast difference in my picking up BSL. That's how I'd fallen in love with BSL. It's a different language from ASL, to be sure, but it is definitely a beautiful language in its own right. I miss using BSL and hope to return to the UK one day.
