Mute

Silence is always a powerful statement, but even more so in this third poetry collection by Raymond Luczak, now expanded with an introduction and thirteen new poems that include elegies for his Deaf gay friends. First published in 2010, Mute explored what it was like to navigate the warring languages of confusion and clarity. As a Deaf gay man in the hearing world, Luczak lends an unforgettable voice to his reality of ache and loss beyond the inadequate translation of sound.

I'll be honest: The opening poem of Mute entitled "How to Fall for a Deaf Man" is so achingly beautiful that it actually made me cry. That's no easy feat, yet Luczak's lines are so tender and insightful that they cut to the heart of the matter and invite you to read and re-read them, over and over.

-Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Out in Perth

Luczak is a powerful poet whose work is as important as it is beautiful.

-Jerry Wheeler, Out in Print

Beautiful and elegant, Luczak's poetry hits the reader with a slap across the face.

-Amos Lassen, who listed Mute as the third best book of 2010

Unlike poets whose major purpose in writing is to "express themselves," Luczak has constituency for whom he is speaking. Thus, his work is not mute at all. This is not to say that Luczak is a mouthpiece for either the Deaf or gay communities. His life and poetry is much too idiosyncratic for that. He does, however, give readers a pictures of a slice of society, the Deaf gay culture, that they are not likely to encounter in many other volumes of poetry. As this body of literature grows, Mute is likely to have an important place in it.

-Michael Northen, Wordgathering