American Sign Language (ASL) is the language of the Deaf community in the United States and much of Canada. It is the central vehicle for communication among Deaf people, and is therefore also a binding force in their culture. ASL uses a gestural-visual modality in which manual signs, facial expressions, and body movements and postures all convey complex linguistic information. It is a fully developed language, with its own systems for articulation, forming words and sentences, and meaning. ASL is not a derivative of English, and its study raises many important scientific questions about the true universals of language, as well as their developmental and neurological origins. Not only is it a full natural language, it is also at the core of a new literary tradition, both in poetry and theater. Thank you Carl Schroeder for making it fun.