Princeton University American Sign Language Program

04/16/2026

Happy ASL Day! Watch this video and find out what our ASL students’ favorite signs are. Please share your favorite signs in the comments below!

04/15/2026

Our course offerings for Fall 2026! If you’re interested in starting learning American Sign Language, check out ASL 101. ASL can be used for the language requirements. If you’re interested in learning about Deaf culture, check out LIN 215: American Deaf Culture. It’s open to both ASL and non-ASL students. Email [email protected] if you have any questions.

04/11/2026

TONIGHT!

THIS SATURDAY, our newly reinstated will host our next coffee night 7-9pm in Campus Club, 5 Prospect Ave. Join us for storytelling, poetry, and…that’s right, FREE DRINKS courtesy of the fabulous !

04/10/2026

Missed the registration deadline? Don’t worry, we have two events that are open to the public during the ASL Symposium at . On Friday, April 17, and Kenny Lerner of the Flying Words Project will perform. On Saturday, April 18, will give a keynote presentation. Both will take place from 7-8:30pm. Interpretation will be provided for those who don’t know ASL. To learn more about the symposium, see the link in the bio.

04/07/2026

THIS SATURDAY, our newly reinstated will host our next coffee night 7-9pm in Campus Club, 5 Prospect Ave. Join us for storytelling, poetry, and…that’s right, FREE DRINKS courtesy of the fabulous !

04/03/2026

TODAY (April 3) IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER for the ASL Literature Symposium on April 17-19. See the bio for the link or go to tinyurl.com/princetonASLlit.

03/31/2026

ANNOUNCING THE COMPLETE SPEAKER LINEUP AND SYMPOSIUM WEBSITE! Please see the first photo for the speaker lineup for the ASL Literature Symposium 2026, which will be held on April 17 through 19. Also, here's the link to the symposium website, which includes the schedule, CEU information, and other important information: www.tinyurl.com/princetonASLlit There will be over 150 people in attendance. Make sure to register by April 3!

03/16/2026

TODAY! Come and see the performance by the German Deaf performing artist Giuseppe Giuranna. Maeder Hall Auditorium at Andlinger Center (92 Olden St.) at 7:30pm. Interpreters will be provided for those who don't know sign language. Everyone is welcome!

03/05/2026

Reminder: Call for paper proposals are due March 10! The link to the proposal form is in the bio. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Also, don’t forget to register for the symposium by April 3.

03/03/2026

Open to the public! The Deaf performing artist Giuseppe Giurana of Berlin, Germany, will perform at on Monday, March 16, 7:30pm in the Maeder Hall Auditorium at the Andlinger Center (92 Olden St., near the corner of Prospect and Olden). Please see below for Giurana’s biography. No sign language knowledge required. Interpreters will be provided. This event is sponsored by , Program in Linguistics, and .

Through his acting roles around the world, Giuseppe Giuranna has gained wide international recognition. He has led numerous Visual Vernacular workshops and seminars, enabling Deaf artists worldwide to explore and experiment with Visual Vernacular.

02/21/2026

Dr. Benjamin Bahan, our keynote speaker, has selected Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner of Flying Words Project, the legendary ASL-English poet duet, to be the featured performing artists at the Princeton ASL Literature Symposium.

To honor his legacy and work, we invited Dr. Bahan to select a performing artist to perform at the symposium for him to analyze in his presentation. On Friday night, Cook and Lerner will give a performance that is open to the public. Please see below for their biography.

If you haven’t registered for the symposium, please register by April 3. Here’s the link to the registration form: https://forms.gle/jCy3LX8ec3mjCSZ77. If you’re interested in presenting at the symposium, please submit your proposal by March 10. Here’s the link to the Call for Papers form: https://forms.gle/iEtJtVsr65nm9cfs5.

The work of Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner is a beautiful and fascinating combination of ASL, movement, visual theater, and above all, extraordinary poetry. Cook presents three-dimensional imagery through ASL while Lerner’s spoken words allow the hearing portion of the audience to see the ASL image and become lost in the movement. Together they create a moving tapestry uniquely accessible to both deaf and hearing audiences.

Two of the pioneers of ASL poetry, they have been at the center of this radical cultural movement since its modern inception in the early 1980s. Performing all over the world for over 40 years, they have helped to establish not only an artistic form (Deaf poetry in ASL) but also have contributed a new vision of poetry itself.

They established the only deaf poetry series in the U.S. in the 1980s, which culminated in the First National ASL Literature Conference in 1992. They were asked to close out the 36th Poetry international Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. They have also been featured at the Poetry Days Festival (Dzejas Dienas,) in Latvia, Kent State University, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Harvard University, Theatre de Lucernaire in Paris, the Annikki Poetry Festival, Tampere, Finland, and many places in between. In 2019, Flying Words presented the keynote address at the American Literary Translators Association Conference.