Main Performance - Ian Sanborn

On Sunday, June 15, Poetry Internation welcomes the world’s finest sign language poets to Rotterdam. One of the absolute highlights is Ian Sanborn (USA), one of the most renowned deaf poets on the planet. With his captivating performances, he reveals the raw power and beauty of sign language. Sanborn brings poetry to life through Visual Vernacular: an expressive, highly visual style so powerful that even non-Deaf audiences can fully immerse themselves in the story. Visual Vernacular incorporates cinematic techniques such as close-ups and shifts in perspective, making it feel like a live-action film unfolding before your eyes. It is largely universally understandable, using iconic gestures and facial expressions that directly depict objects, movements, and emotions. This allows both Deaf and non-Deaf audiences to fully experience the essence of his poetry. 

His poems invite you to see nature, the world, and language itself in a whole new way. Let yourself be enchanted by the power of sign language – June 15 in Rotterdam!

Ian Sanborn is an American ASL poet, performer, educator, and visual artist. 

Being a New Hampshire native, Sanborn is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, and canoeing and finds inspiration in nature. He is best known for his pieces Caterpillar and Tick Tock. His work has been featured both nationally and internationally at institutions such as Cornell University and Sign Mindle in Seoul, South Korea, offering a platform for study and inspiration for both Deaf and hearing audiences. 

To Sanborn, poetry is a living, breathing art that invites the world to not only see but also feel the beauty of language in its most visual and visceral form. Sign language poetry is the embodiment of language that transcends the traditional limits of words. And it reaches even further: through signs, expressions, and the rhythm of movement, ASL poetry connects the depths of human experience, creating space for Deaf culture to be fully recognized. Sanborn’s work ensures that poetry is not just read and heard, but also seen and felt, shaping the evolving landscape of Deaf performing arts. 

Next to his poetic work, Sanborn also creates through the media of film, photography, and painting.