Ann Clare LeZotte

Ann Clare LeZotte is an American author and poet who writes fiction and poetry for young readers. LeZotte, who is Deaf, brings a unique and invaluable perspective to her work, drawing on her experience and identity to create literature that centers Deaf culture and the lived experience of Deaf individuals in ways that are both authentic and accessible to all readers. Her commitment to representation and her distinctive narrative voice have established her as an important and distinctive presence in children’s and young adult literature.

LeZotte’s debut novel in verse, Show Me a Sign (2020), is set in the early nineteenth century on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts — historically home to an unusually large population of Deaf residents, where a shared sign language was in common use among both Deaf and hearing community members. The novel follows Mary, a Deaf girl who faces the arrival of a scientist interested in studying the island’s Deaf population, and explores themes of identity, community, and what it means to be seen as different. The book received widespread critical acclaim and earned the Schneider Family Book Award, which honors books that authentically portray the disability experience.

LeZotte’s use of the verse novel format allows her to capture the rhythm and texture of her characters’ inner lives with particular expressiveness, and her work demonstrates a deep engagement with both literary craft and historical research. She writes about Deaf culture with pride and nuance, neither sentimentalizing the experience of deafness nor reducing it to a narrative of struggle, but instead portraying it as a rich identity and community with its own history, language, and traditions.

Ann Clare LeZotte continues to write and advocate for greater representation of Deaf characters and creators in children’s literature. Her work is read in schools and libraries across the country and has helped open important conversations about disability, identity, and the diversity of human experience. She is regarded as a trailblazing voice whose contributions to inclusive storytelling extend well beyond her own books.