1989 Writers and Books Grant Project Presentation by Eric Frederick Malzkuhn ‘Malz’
Channel: RIT Libraries
Date: 2019-03-19

Summarized by Joan Naturale. This video is from the Miriam and Kenny Lerner collection. Kenny Lerner and Peter Cook (Flying Words Project duo) wrote a NY Humanities grant for this Writers and Books event, inviting Malz to present on sign poetry. Dr. Robert F. Panara introduced Malz and talked about his groundbreaking poem, "Jabberwocky" due to his creative use of sign language in that poem. Malz was also involved in a sign language performance of the Broadway play, "Arsenic and Lace" and in the National Theatre of the Deaf. Malz shares how he became Deaf and attended the Michigan School for the Deaf where he learned sign language. He describes performing "Jabberwocky" and getting involved with "Arsenic and Lace". After sharing more stories, he plays a game with the audience encouraging creative self-expression. He signs the poems, "The Cat" and "The Centipede" in PSE, ASL, and the ‘Malz’ way. He then performs a San Francisco poem using finger-spelling to show the unique features of the city. Finally, he performs the poem, "If I were a King" in ASL and the ‘Malz’ way. Visual description: Peter Cook with shoulder-length brown hair is wearing a black turtleneck and a black jacket with gray pants. Kenny Lerner has shoulder-length wavy hair and has a beard and mustache. He is wearing a gray graphic t-shirt and jeans. Dr. Panara has balding gray hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and striped tie.  Malz has balding brown hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a black suit, a black shirt, and a striped tie. Malz is on stage in front of a white background.  For more information, please go to the Deaf Studies Archive finding aid link URL: https://archivesspace.rit.edu/repositories/2/resources/815

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"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation." https://www.clir.org/2018/01/clir-ann...