Five years after the seminal U.S. anthology, Beauty is a Verb, Nine Arches Press is proud to publish this innovative and boundary breaking anthology. Co-edited by poets Sandra Alland, Khairani Barokka and Daniel Sluman Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back examines the poetics of disabled and D/deaf cultures. The first of its kind and packed with fierce poetry, essays, photos and links to accessible online videos, it showcases a diversity of styles, opinions, and survival strategies for a world that often works to shut us down. With contributions that span Vispo to Surrealism, and range from hard-hitting political commentary to intimate lyrical pieces the poets brought together in this anthology refuse to perform or inspire according to tired old narratives.