[Michlib-l] UP Notable Book Club presents a Q&A session about Raymond Luczak's Animals out-There W-i-l-d: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss

Sat Mar 15 11:04:42 EDT 2025

Raymond is a great presenter and I highly recommend you pass this
opportunity on to your patrons, especially those who may be
hearing-impaired.  Raymond's charisma appeals to readers of all
stripes.  There is no cost, we just ask individuals to contact Evelyn in
advance to obtain the Zoom link and password (details below).

      For Immediate Release…

*Contact: Victor Volkman
(734) 417-4266
President at UPPAA.org*
www.UPPAA.org
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=f9c5e556f4&e=fd2c186103>

      UP Notable Book Club presents a Q&A session about Raymond Luczak's
      /Animals out-There W-i-l-d: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss
      /

*Official Seal of the U.P. Notable Books
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=f417707a5b&e=fd2c186103>
UP Notable Book Club:* The Crystal Falls Community District Library in
partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) has
scheduled author events for winners of the /UP Notable Book List/. The
45th event is with *Raymond Luczak*, author of /Animals out-There
W-i-l-d: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss. /In this groundbreaking
collection of sign language gloss poetry, the first of its kind to be
published, Raymond Luczak explores the dynamics of written English
poetry and ASL gloss by communing with the animals living in Michigan's
Upper Peninsula.

/*When: */Thursday, April 10th, 2025 at 7 pm Eastern / 6 pm Central
/*Where: */on the Zoom platform -- please contact Evelyn Gathu in
advance at egathu at crystalfallslibrary.org
<mailto:egathu at crystalfallslibrary.org?subject=UPNotableBooks&body=Please-send-me-the-zoom-link>,
or by phone at (906) 875-3344. We recommend you borrow a copy of these
books from your local library or purchase from your local bookseller in
advance to get the most out of these events.

*Portrait of Raymond Luczak
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=4befa6cb0d&e=fd2c186103>RAYMOND
LUCZAK* (pronounced with a silent "c") is perhaps best known for his
books, films, and plays. He was raised in Ironwood, a small mining town
in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Number seven in a family of nine
children, he lost much of his hearing due to double pneumonia at the age
of eight months. After high school graduation, Luczak went on to
Gallaudet University, in Washington, D.C., where he earned a B.A. in
English, graduating /magna cum laude/. He learned American Sign Language
(ASL) and became involved with the deaf community, and won numerous
scholarships in recognition of his writing, including the Ritz-Paris
Hemingway Scholarship.

He took various writing courses at other schools in the area, which
culminated in winning a place in the Jenny McKean Moore Fiction Workshop
at the George Washington University.  Recent works include /Compassion,
Michigan: The Ironwood Stories, Chlorophyll: Poems About Michigan's
Upper Peninsula/ and the anthology /Yooper Poetry/ which has resulted in
launching the critically-acclaimed Yooper Poetry Series
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=79f109e26b&e=fd2c186103>,
edited by Luczak

Cover of Raymond Luczak's book ANIMALS OUT THERE
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=7b643a42bc&e=fd2c186103>"The
themes that made their appearance in the book were nature’s rhythm and
song; human cruelty and humans lack of connection. Nature has a rhythm
and song, the order of life. A fox awaits quietly as a mouse scampers
through the tall grass. The hawk watches from above and the owl knows
where to hide. All dogs originated from wolves. Beavers engineer dams,
robins build nests and fly south during the fall months. Human cruelty
has occurred with leaps and bounds from cows lined up to be slaughtered
to chickens crowded in small cages. Luczak has a point concerning human
contact. Social media and cell phones have caused more separation for
many humans. I remember a story about two teenagers not talking in the
back seat when a parent picked them up from an event and the teenagers
told the parent they were texting one another. Animals still continue to
communicate. Wolves howl, birds chirp and house cats hiss when disturbed.

"I recommend Animals Out-There W-i-l-d
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=0a0fde1f21&e=fd2c186103> for
its bountiful depictions of various animals, insects and birds, because
of its description of the word Yooper , its awareness of human ignorance
and cruelty and its reminder of the importance of connection. A Yooper
is a native or inhabitant of the U.P. Animals may outlive humans because
they have maintained a rhythm of living. Nature has always held a sense
of wonder, and we could learn a lot from the animals who live in the
forests. Luczak has captured in his powerful use of poetry an
understanding of nature’s song and the conflicting ethos of human
behavior,"

Read Sharon Brunner's complete review at U.P. Book Review
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=1adb8f1ba8&e=fd2c186103>

*<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=cd10b6afa3&e=fd2c186103>About
the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA)*
Established in 1998 to support authors and publishers who live in or
write about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UPPAA is a Michigan nonprofit
association with over 180 members, many of whose books are featured on
the organization’s website at www.uppaa.org
<https://UPPAA.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=b1016c5c910959a236f2ff48f&id=aaef9d7bf8&e=fd2c186103>.
UPPAA welcomes membership and participation from anyone with a UP
connection who is interested in writing.

--
Regards,

Victor R. Volkman, President
L H Press Inc.
www.LHPress.com
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