The Perseverance

On being a minority and deaf in a hearing world

I had driven in on the morning commute exactly one time this year and that’s where I heard about The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus. NPR had a lovely interview with Antrobus—a half Jamaican, half English (raised in London) and deaf poet. The poems explore this intersectional identity, as well as his relationship with his father. But the pieces that caught me explored being deaf in a hearing world, like “Dear Hearing World”, “Samantha”, “Miami Airport.” It's a wonderful and thought provoking collection.