transcript: Hi, I’m Brittany, and I had the pleasure of chatting with Manny Hernandez, a talented ASL storyteller and educator. I invited him to take a look at my book, Visual Stories in Sign Language, which I wrote and illustrated to support both children and adults in learning through visual storytelling without relying on English. Manny shared thoughtful insights about the book’s use of visual vernacular, calling it a helpful tool for building mental imagery and storytelling skills. He mentioned how it fits into the broader movement of gesture literature and even referenced artists like Justin Perez and events like VV Underground and ASL Slam. We also talked about the QR code at the end of the book, which links to signed videos to support deeper understanding, especially for visual learners. I explained how the book came from a moment in class, when a classmate mimicked a scene from Spiderman—that inspired me to start pairing ASL signs with illustrations to capture motion, direction, and emotion. It took nearly four years to complete, and I’m proud to finally share it with the community. You can watch our full conversation on 58 Creativity’s YouTube channel and find the book at 58Creativity.com.