A young artist badly in need of money bluffs her way through an interview into a job she is not prepared for.

To succeed, she must make room in her life for two people: Curtis, a deaf architect who has sworn he will never date a hearing woman, and thirteen-year-old Alex, profoundly deaf, rebellious, bold, and frightened. As each takes new risks in friendship and love, the hearing and deaf worlds come together.

With sign language—nimble and evocative—at its center, Turn On the Light So I Can Hear is about reaching across distances, the transformative powers of art, and finding a place to belong.

An excerpt of this novel appeared in The Iowa Review as a story called “Signing”

Personal note: My husband and I are both hard of hearing. This leads to some hilarious conversations. For example, one day, after entering a store, he said, “I need to find the bathroom.”

I heard: “I need to find a basket.” We only needed one small item, so I responded with, “What for?”

He gave me a look and said, “Do you really want to know?”