The Shape of Sound: An Interview with Fiona Murphy
The Shape of Sound
For twenty-five years, Fiona Murphy kept the secret of her deafness close. However, she found there was no getting around the truth.
In The Shape of Sound, the award-winning poet and essayist brings the reader with her on a journey to understand what it means to live with a disability. In this interview, we chat to Murphy about writing memoir, the surprises she encountered while researching the book and what she is up to next.
Congrats on the release of your debut! How does it feel to have The Shape of Sound out in the world?
Thank you! It has been such a thrill seeing it on bookshelves. Initially, I was extremely nervous about its release. Having kept my deafness a secret for so long, I wasn’t sure how people would react to my story. But I have been blown away by the positive response.
This book touches on so many interesting subjects, but at its heart is your deafness. What compelled you to write a memoir about this subject?
I didn’t plan to write a memoir, for over twenty years I couldn’t fathom revealing my deafness to friends, let alone strangers! However, I began writing as a personal project to answer the question: Am I deaf? This might appear to be a simple yes/no question, but it took me down rabbit holes about the history of science, medicine, deaf education, hearing technology, social policy, communication, identity, linguistics, sign language, and so on. Before long, I noticed that my own thoughts and feelings about being deaf emerging on the page. The writing process slowly, but surely, allowed me to shed my secret.
Your story is one of an awakening, as well as a reckoning with your own identity. It's such an interesting journey for readers because we are along for the ride with you, opening our hearts and minds to new ideas. Can you tell us a bit more about the reader responses so far?
The response has been so warm and wonderful! It has been really heartening to get emails and inbox messages from readers who identified with my experiences, whether they have hearing loss or not. Loneliness and isolation are familiar experiences to most people, especially after so many lockdowns during 2020. It has also been rather thrilling to chat to deaf readers about their experiences of learning Auslan and discovering Deaf culture.
“I began writing as a personal project to answer the question: Am I deaf? This might appear to be a simple yes/no question, but it took me down rabbit holes…”
You touch on different ways the world can be inadequately accessible to people with disability, from social constructs, institutions, to the very architecture of the buildings we inhabit. The research involved is extensive. What were some of the most surprising things you discovered as you peeled back the history of deafness and disability?
I learnt so many things! From ‘sound sandwiches’ (a technique that some people use to manage their tinnitus) to larger, more concerning issues, such as the state of deaf education. The World Federation of the Deaf estimates that only 1-2% of deaf children worldwide receive an education in sign language. Even with the assistance of hearing technology, children with any degree of hearing loss are at risk of language deprivation. As a society we still have so far to go in ensuring deaf and hard of hearing people have equal access to information.
You are one of the writers featured in the Growing Up Disabled in Australia anthology. What does being a part of that project mean to you?
I feel so proud to be part of the anthology. Carly Findlay did an incredible job to ensure that the stories featured reflect a wide range of experiences. The response from the general public has been so exciting, the book has already had a second print and continues to be featured widely throughout mainstream media. It is truly gratifying seeing conversations about disability being led by people with lived experienced. It feels like a real turning point in how the media represent disabled people.
What books about disability have informed your writing or inspired you personally?
There are so many brilliant books by disabled writers. I truly think that it is amongst the most creative and innovative work being published today. My understanding of disability has been deeply shaped by the following books:
Smalls Acts of Disappearance by Fiona Wright
Show Me Where It Hurts by Kylie Maslen
Say Hello by Carly Findlay
Hearing Maud by Jessica White
The Art of Being Deaf by Donna McDonald
Constellations: Reflections from Life by Sinead Gleeson
Earshot by Kate Disher-Quill
I Choose Elena by Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Hysteria by Katerina Bryant
After going through the writing, editing and publishing process, what advice do emerging writers who want to write non-fiction/memoir?
Nobody owns your story but you. Take your time to determine exactly what you want to share with readers. And be prepared to write many, many drafts!
You are an avid reader. What are some of your favourite recent reads?
I adored reading: Love Objects by Emily Maguire; Echoes by Shu-Ling Chua; New Animal by Ella Baxter; Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo; Indelicacy by Amina Cain; Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan. I’m really looking forward to the release of My Friend Fox by Heidi Everett, Gunk Baby by Jamie Marina Lau and Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles.
What are you up to next?
I’m working on a novel, which features the same topics that obsessed me while writing The Shape of Sound: cadavers; secrets; social justice. I’ve also started writing a collection of essays exploring the factors that influence whether disabled people can live with dignity.
