All good journalism starts with a story.
The name Wordslaw is inspired by a poem written by Sophie Stern, performed in January 2020 at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, Arizona. The poem is called “The Law of Words.” It was written, workshopped and performed as a part of Fire Flies, a storytelling program for teens.
Amy Silverman, Sophie’s mom, helps to run Fire Flies and other storytelling and memoir writing groups. She started Wordslaw while she was a Visiting Nieman Fellow in the spring of 2021, to continue work started with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network and the Arizona Daily Star in 2020. The idea is to put the stories of people with intellectual disabilities (and other communities we don’t hear from often enough) centerstage. The goal is to use this work to make journalism better.
You can learn more about Sophie and her work here.
You can learn more about Amy and her work here.
Listen to Sophie and Amy talk about Wordslaw on KJZZ, the NPR member station in Phoenix.
“The Law of Words” by Sophie Stern
What is going on with the laws of words
The words are kind to the people with disabilities
The people the words
Words speak to yourself
And what they say
The words can be bad
What is the law of words
The words like the r word
The musical that my highschool did was Hairspray
I went to the directors and say words can be bad take one out
The laws of words can be tough in some ways how they think how they wright
The laws of words how they explain to the world
How i control with the laws of words they have the words in the life of words
How the words can’t talk to yourself use the mind to you and the world behind you and have the law of words to yourself and how the life comes and goes and the law how the people say
words in the law of words when you think the law of words you have the mind set in the future and detour has words that can be good we just did Rent and words in the show can be risky in the laws of words can be hard for people with down syndrome to be thoughtful to yourself and
other people can hear the air of words they listen to the laws of words and how they listen to it and they have the rights to the words of the laws of words and how they think to yourself
confidence to the mind these words can be bad what i think what is in my head it hurts what is this pain in my body WHAT IS THIS in my head in my body in my heart ugg what is this pain?
Your words, my words our words. What is this pain in my body and my head how do i get out of it what feelings do you have in the laws of words what is this feeling how do i get out of here
ABOUT THE WORDSLAW LOGO AND THE ARTISTS BEHIND IT.
Our logo was created by artists at MAKE STUDIO in Baltimore, with art direction from Stefan Bauschmid.
Chuck Fischer created script for the Wordslaw logo. Chuck has been an artist with Make Studio since 2013. He enjoys sculpting, painting with acrylics and oils, embroidery, and drawing with charcoal and pastels. He loves watching the news, studying history and other cultures, and is inspired by people, landscapes, and his imagination. Chuck laughs easily and often!
Kareem Samuels created figures for the Wordslaw logo. Having joined Make Studio after making art at home and at an Adult Learning Center for some time, Kareem began experimenting with watercolor, acrylic, and more, to colorfully share the positive and spiritual messages of his heroic alter ego, “Bible Boy”. Since then he has become an expert in doing portraits of himself, friends and family, celebrities, and superheroes, both of his own creation and otherwise.
Our website was created by Madi Latham, Wordslaw’s administrative assistant.
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Amy Silverman
FOUNDER / CURATOR
Amy Silverman is a journalist in her hometown, Phoenix. Learn more at amy-silverman.com
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Madi Latham
CO CURATOR / ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Madi Latham is a writer and habilitation provider in Phoenix.