Episode 4 | Adam Pottle

Parallel Careers

“I don't believe that I would be a writer if I wasn’t Deaf. I think that being born deaf kind of derailed me from the kind of path that, that the men in my family tend to take. My dad worked for CN Rail, and my brother worked for CN Rail, and my dad's dad worked for CN Rail. So being Deaf kind of took me away and steered me away from, from that path and down a more artistic and imaginative path.”
In this episode, Adam Pottle shares the importance of believing in the story you want to tell and how creativity is a necessity for a disabled life. He discusses:

• 0:40 | His work as Writer in Residence at Sheridan College and how he hopes it will be an opportunity to encourage more Deaf and disabled writers to tell their stories.
• 1:58 | The development of his first play Ultrasound, and dramaturg Yvette Nolan’s advice to “raise the stakes, raise the stakes, raise the stakes.”
• 5:11 | His research into the Nazi’s T4 Euthanasia program and its victim and his experience touring the clinic described in his book, The Bus.
• 8:15 | The ongoing relevance of The Bus, in an ableist world where eugenicist attitudes still persist.
• 14:58 | His memoir Voice about growing up deaf in a hearing family, and using the persona of Lemmy from Motorhead to bring “color commentary” to the book.
• 17:00 | Asking students to write a paragraph about themselves from the perspective of someone who loves them and the benefits of using this exercise during the pandemic.
• 18: 24 | Developing The Black Drum, a Deaf musical, and how he provided a blueprint for the actors to interpret, creating music out of their own rhythms.
• 20:15 | The windfall awaiting the first major publisher, film studio and art gallery that truly recognizes the potential of disabled artists.

Guest Bio:
Adam Pottle's books include the award-winning novels The Bus and Mantis Dreams, along with the critically acclaimed memoir Voice. His plays include the groundbreaking piece The Black Drum, the world's first-ever all-Deaf musical. He is the only Deaf person in a hearing family, and all his work focuses on disabled characters. He is currently working on the script for a new graphic novel while shopping his new novel Apparitions. He lives in Saskatoon.
About the Podcast:
Parallel Careers is a monthly podcast about the dual lives of writers who teach.
Few writers make their living from publication alone; many fill the gaps with teaching in both academic and community settings. Much of the work is precarious, and there are few opportunities for professional development.
Parallel Careers features writers with diverse practices and points of view—writers who are at the top of their game in both craft and pedagogy. Tune in to hear the big ideas and practical tips they take into their classrooms. Take their insights into your own class or craft.
Credits:
Parallel Careers is produced by Claire Tacon, in partnership with The New Quarterly magazine. Erin MacIndoe Sproule is our Technical Producer and Story Editor. Music composed by Amadeo Ventura. Financial and in-kind support provided by the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund, St. Jerome’s University, and the Government of Canada.
If you like our podcast, please leave a review—it really helps other listeners find our show! Thank you!
Visit TNQ.ca to access more of Adam Pottle’s writing and teaching tips, including web extras about mentorship and cultural appropriation.
You can find Adam’s work here:
Voice. Adam Pottle on Writing with Deafness
The Bus
The Black Drum
Beautiful Mutants