Register now for Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff and get 20% off!

August 13, 2026American Sign Language, eCourses and Webinars, Professional Development, Resources for Teachers and Librarians, Upcoming events, webinarskathymacmillan

Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff | Interactive webinar series presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. | Hands Up! Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Beginner) Wednesdays, September 9 to October 14, 2026. 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific | Intermediate: Wednesdays, October 21 to November 25, 2026, 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific | StoriesByHand.com/webinars | Words appear over a drawing of upraised hands in bright pastel colors against a white background.

Get 20% off either series with coupon code AUTUMN

Hands Up: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Beginner)

Wednesdays, September 9 to October 14, 2026. 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific

Online sessions via Zoom (6 weeks, 1 hour per week). Includes recording access for all sessions through November 15, 2026.

Learn how to improve your service to deaf patrons in this interactive series. We’ll cover basic information about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, as well as specific vocabulary for the library setting. Each session will build on those before it to reinforce your knowledge and expand your ability to communicate with members of the Deaf community, and you’ll get plenty of interactive signing practice! Certificate of completion available with successful completion of post-test.

Individual: 270.00 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live series ends)
Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Contact info@storiesbyhand.com for more information.

Register now for Beginner series

Hands Up: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Intermediate)

Wednesdays, October 21 to November 25, 2026, 12-1 PM Eastern/11 AM-12 PM Central/10-11 AM Mountain/9-10 AM Pacific

Online sessions via Zoom (6 weeks, 1 hour per week). Includes recording access for all sessions through December 26, 2026.

Build your American Sign Language skills for library settings in this interactive series. This series is appropriate for those who have taken Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Beginner), or the ASL for Library Staff eCourses through the American Library Association, or anyone who already knows some library vocabulary in ASL and wishes to polish their skills. Join us to reinforce your library signing skills and increase your confidence in your ability to communicate with members of the Deaf community. Certificate of completion available with successful completion of post-test.

Individual: 270.00 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live series ends)
Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Contact info@storiesbyhand.com for more information.

Register now for Intermediate series

See all upcoming webinars.

Dinosaurs and more at the Beatley Library!

August 6, 2026American Sign Language, summer reading, Upcoming eventskathymacmillan

I Dig American Sign Language

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 5:00 PM

Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke St, Alexandria, VA

Let’s dig deep and learn basic American Sign Language for dinosaurs, diggers, and the things we love through stories, songs, and more!

For ages 0-5 with caregiver. No registration required.

SIGN THE SEASONS: FALL launches today!

August 4, 2026American Sign Language, board books, On Publishing, Resources for Teachers and Librarians, Sign the Seasons series, storytimes, Upcoming events, videoskathymacmillan

My new series from Familius Press launches today! Sign the Seasons introduces babies and toddlers to early communication through the sights and traditions of the seasons.

Cover of Sign the Seasons: Fall

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by Kathy MacMillan

Illustrated by Ekaterina Ladatko

ASL/Deaf Culture Advisor: Tanya Daniels

Early Childhood Education Advisor: Louise Rollins

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“What a beautiful book! The illustrations wrap around the reader like a warm hug after a chilly fall day. This book will be perfect for anyone looking to learn about sign language for fall. I can see this being used and loved in homes, classrooms, libraries, and bookstores for interactive storytimes where children practice their motor skills and celebrate the season.” – Tracy C. Gold, author of Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby

Order now at Deaf Camps, Inc. Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Familius

Join me to celebrate the launch of SIGN THE SEASONS: FALL!

Storytime in American Sign Language: Premieres Tuesday, 8/4/26 at 11 AM Eastern, recording available

Storytime in Spoken English with Closed Captions: Premieres Tuesday, 8/4/26 at 1 PM Eastern, recording available

Read This!: MOTHER TONGUE: A MEMOIR by Sara Nović

July 15, 2026Authors You Should Know, Read This, Reviewssara novickathymacmillan

Mother Tongue by Sara Nović
Summary: Sara Nović’s early years were filled with music, Bible study, and a strong desire to fit in. But when she failed her school’s mandated hearing test, her worldview was thrown into chaos. Desperate not to be marked as different, she told no one, staying in the hearing world for as long as she could by brute force. Eventually unable to ignore the fact that she was deaf, Nović sought out other deaf people and was welcomed into a tight knit community rooted in the beauty and joy of American Sign Language. Nović realized that rather than maintaining the facade of her old life or trying to straddle two worlds, she would need to cultivate a life in the space between. Now the mother of two young sons – one, biological and hearing, the other, adopted and deaf-Nović reflects on her life both before and after parenthood. She’s raising her children within the deaf world, offering them things her younger self needed, all the while knowing that as her children grow, their own paths will branch off from hers in ways she cannot fully predict or plan for.

I adored Sara Nović’s novel, True Biz, which welcomed readers into the world of a residential school for the deaf via deeply developed characters and lessons about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture cleverly entwined into the plot. And I have long followed Nović’s articles and advocacy work, where she has delivered clear-eyed, nuanced takes on everything from cochlear implants to the value of art. So I couldn’t wait to read her new memoir, Mother Tongue. As always, Nović delivers. This deeply felt book takes us along on her journey from the hearing world to the Deaf world (or deaf world, as she writes it, for reasons she explains in the book). Along the way, deep research on topics such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, international adoption, language deprivation, and the reproductive rights of marginalized people intertwines with personal stories of her experiences with the church, the medical community, the birth of her hearing son, and the adoption of her deaf son. As she reckons with the forces that have shaped her as a person and a writer, Nović will open the reader’s eyes to consider how those forces shape us all.

MOTHER TONGUE is out now.

View all my reviews

Less than 1 month until SIGN THE SEASONS debuts!

July 7, 2026American Sign Language, board books, Sign the Seasons serieskathymacmillan

I’m so excited for the release of my new series, Sign the Seasons, from Familius Press! One cool thing about releasing a seasons series is that I will have a new book coming out every few months over the next year! Fall debuts on August 4, followed by Winter on November 3, and Spring and Summer are coming in early 2027! I recently got my author copies of Sign the Seasons: Fall and got to hold this beautiful book in my hands for the first time:

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Sign the Seasons introduces babies and toddlers to early communication through the sights and traditions of the seasons. Each book features 8 essential American Sign Language signs in a simple, story-driven context. With warm illustrations by Ekaterina Ladatko and clear signing instructions, children and caregivers can learn and practice together, turning everyday moments into opportunities for connection and language development. Perfect for families and early learning settings, the Sign the Seasons series blends seasonal fun with meaningful skill-building for little learners.