TALK: Writing Deaf History with Sarah Smith

Writing Deaf History with Sarah Smith
Thursday 11th July, 7-8pm 
Tickets available here. In person tickets start at £15. Dinner and book bundles available.

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In 1816 Jean Campbell, a young Deaf woman, was witnessed throwing a child into the river Clyde. Accused of doing so intentionally, Jean was arrested and charged – and became the first Deaf woman to stand trial in the High Court in Scotland. 

Plainly, this is a story that needs to be told, and Sarah Smith’s debut novel, 2022’s Hear No Evil, was inspired by Campbell’s case. There wasn’t much to go on, only a few newspapers and court records. Like so many fascinating historical stories, Sarah would have to fictionalise much of what might have brought Jean to the Clyde on that cold November evening. 

But as Sarah says, deciding to write Jean’s story came with doubts and concerns; Sarah isn’t Deaf, and knew she would have to tackle the responsibility of conveying Jean’s experience, while also remaining truthful to history. There’s no doubt Sarah succeeded; Hear No Evil was chosen as Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Month and was one of three books chosen for adaptation at the Edinburgh Book festival, chosen for its exploration of past, present and future with sign language and Deaf history. 

In this talk, Sarah will explain how she engaged with Deaf people and organisations to find the best way to tell part of their history: how to present Deaf history and British Sign Language in a book written in English, among other things. 

Join Sarah at Gladstone’s Library for a fascinating exploration of the responsibility – and joy – of writing historical fiction. 

Sarah Smith is a writer from Glasgow, Scotland whose poetry, flash fiction and short stories have been published in a wide variety of print and online anthologies and magazines. Her debut novel, Hear No Evil (2022) was inspired by the landmark case of Jean Campbell, the first deaf person to be tried in the High Court in Scotland.

Whatever the format, Sarah’s work explores themes around marginalised individuals, social history, and popular culture. As well as writing, Sarah has spent thirty years working on projects that support disabled people to access learning, employment, and cultural opportunities; she still works as a creative writing tutor, most recently with Glasgow Mental Health Network.

Tickets available here. In person tickets start at £15. Dinner and book bundles available.

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