Ever since I started writing (and reading), libraries and librarians have been an integral part of my process of exploration and discovery. I even had an entire scene of an early play about the rapture librarians experience while helping someone like me do their research. In these times where dark forces are shutting down access to information, it’s so important that we help libraries increase the breadth and depth of their collections.
At the readathon event I’ll be reading an excerpt from my debut novel The Sign For Home. The novel tells the coming-of-age story of a young, straight DeafBlind man, whose hyper-religious family has kept him isolated from the world and the young woman he loves in order to save his soul. However one summer during a writing class he meets and befriends a gay, sign language interpreter who makes the young man aware of his rights as a disabled person and the proper accommodation. Together the two go on a journey to discover what happened to the girl who got away, and to experience all the joy and independence life has to offer.
Blair Fell writes and lives in Jackson Heights, New York. Blair’s television work includes Queer as Folk, and the Emmy Award–winning California Connected. He’s written dozens of plays including the award-winning plays Naked Will, The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, and the downtown cult miniseries Burning Habits. His personal essays have appeared in HuffPost, Out, Daily News (New York), and more. He’s a two-time winner of the prestigious Doris Lippman Prize in Creative Writing from the City College of New York, including for his early unfinished draft of The Sign for Home. Concurrently with being a writer, Blair has been an ASL interpreter for the Deaf since 1993, and has also worked as an actor, producer, and director.
Some reviews of The Sign For Home below.
"As if complex characters, a compelling voice, smart stylistic choices, and the fierce defense of diversity, accessibility, and equality were not enough, THE SIGN FOR HOME also immersed me in an engrossing and important conversation I knew too little about. I closed this book more enlightened, more engaged, and more hopeful than I was when I opened it, and I enjoyed every page along the way."
– Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of ONE TWO THREE
*The 2022 Pride Reading List: 72 New Books to Read All Year*
– Goodreads
"A hilarious, peculiar and very touching story about a deaf, blind Jehovah’s Witness boy and his gay interpreter."
– James Hannaham, author of the PEN/Faulkner Award winner, DELICIOUS FOODS
"Fell writes with a deep compassion and keen attention to the experiences of living with deafness and blindness. This heartfelt romance is hard to resist."
– Publishers Weekly
"A unique coming-of-age romance."
– Buzzfeed
"Tender, hilarious and decidedly uplifting."
– BookPage
“Poignant . . . . Riveting”
– Los Angeles Times
*April's Most Anticipated*
– The Millions
"Reading THE SIGN FOR HOME will cause you to experience many emotions, from indignation to horror to heartbreak. Ultimately, though, this is a novel about the power of love --- not just romantic love but the love that evolves from friendship. It's a beautiful story that’s powerfully told."
– BookReporter.com
