BASL LIT

‘Get It Poppin, Keep It Lit, and Slam In Style!

Do It For The Culture!' ™

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The phrase 'LIT' has a double meaning.

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1) Literature is a powerful catalyst for creativity and self-expression, encompassing a vast array of written works that inspire and uplift, including poetry, novels, and plays.

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2) A term used to describe something cool and exciting, or generally something you would want to experience. 'Lit' describes something that is 'fire', 'dope', 'cool', or 'awesome'.

 

Poetry is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene, or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words, and is expressed in Black American Sign Language (BASL) culture and literature through poetry writing workshops, literature contests, on-stage slam performances, and an array of competitions, including visual poetry, BASL Lit film festivals, and cultural initiatives for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing signers who are writers, actors, artists, and content creators.

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BASL Lit poems can be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, the rhythm and emphasis of a line based on Black American Sign Language (BASL) or American Sign Language (ASL) syllabic beats; poems can also be freeform, following no formal structure.