Leo in Bloom Magazine

Who is allowed to find their one true love and live happily ever after? We Nonspeakers must define relationships as we see fit. 

I envisioned “Love Letters, A True-ly Short Epistolary Romance” first as a book of poetry and letters, then as a collaborative theater piece. You need to watch it if you don’t want spoilers!

Theatrical Play- Love Letters, A True-ly Short Epistolary Romance; Filmed in Seattle, Washington, June 2023. Official version, with closed captions

Livestream with playwright, director and lyricist Q&A. The panel begins at one hour, 11 minutes, 33 seconds on the livestream link.

I was the sole nonspeaker in the collaboration group; everyone else was also neurodivergent.  I met with resistance from the other members when I added Melody meeting Michael. Their less impacted characters were all allowed relationships, but they said Melody should be content to find her own strength, ending with the Rumi quote:    The poet Rumi said “Your heart knows the right way. Run in that direction.” My heart ran fast in a direction I thought was right. I soon realized he was not the destination; he was only the path. Yes, Melody was strong, but she also deserved the happily ever after that she wanted. 

The first step in that happiness was the collaborative group collapse. The implosion hurt like being born, but a new project rose from the ruins. Without the constraints of outsiders, Melody’s story evolved, and Love Letters became the first musical by and about nonspeakers. It might strike some as odd that someone who can’t speak or sing would write a musical, but I can’t let such small matters stand in the way of big ideas.

It’s really amazing to think that it’s been 2 years since my characters took off living their lives on page and stage. So, what became of them?

Luke had some challenges, but is doing okay. One of these days he may write his own history. He thinks of the time he spent dreaming and wishes he could rewind to the time when things made sense. Melody sees him on occasion so she knows he’s happy, but she wrote him out of her story so she doesn’t know the details. 

Melody and Michael are still a couple and it’s still not easy for them. It takes so much energy to wrangle their sensory systems when they’re together. Most days Melody’s head is full of music and beauty. But some days their apraxia wins, bodies clash, egos bruise. They both feel defeated and overwhelmed at times. Melody says, “I’m letting the fear of loneliness take up too much space in my mind.”

Michael says, “Regulation is by far the hardest part. Excitement puts me on edge and her excitement doubles the trouble and makes it hard for us to chill because we are both freaking out. We have to muddle along and try to be tolerant of each other’s stims and sensory needs.  But dating has had a big impact on how my family thinks about my future. My parents imagine me having a life I share instead of me being alone when they die. It’s a happy shift for all of us knowing that I am loved for myself outside the family.”

“Yes,“ Melody agrees, “Loving hearts steadfastly carry on. Everything about our relationship is perfect because we are on this journey together.”

Editor’s note: Our friend Sofia Ghassaei, has explored romantic connections, and the difficulties this love poses for people on the spectrum (particularly those of us who spell to communicate), in her play Love Letters, A True-ly Short Epistolary Romance, which was staged by Theater of Possibility in Seattle in 2023 and uploaded to YouTube. Although a few spelling nonspeakers have had their plays about our experiences produced (sometimes including writings by fellow spellers), such as DJ Savarese’s Finding Our Voices (2011) and Sofia’s own Words Unheard (2022; see Leo in Bloom, issue 5 for her script and the YouTube link), Sofia is the first to have written a musical!

If this is your first time viewing Love Letters, be prepared for Sofia’s tender (and sometimes humorous) insights as her characters explore and define the connections of love. If you have already watched the play, please revisit it for Sofia’s wisdom about creating romance on one’s own terms and negotiating a reality that one’s mind and body can share.

– Nick Pentzell

About Sofia

21 year old Sofia Ghassaei has been writing poetry all her life, you just couldn’t hear it before.  Her creative work has been published in Di lo que quieres decir 2023: Antología de siglemas 575, Teen Creative Magazine, Leo In Bloom,  Neuroclastic, and presented at the Boards and Chords Music Festival, Neurolyrical Cafe, and SpellX.   Her first short play, Words Unheard, was performed by Theater of Possibility in 2022. She was one of five writers internationally selected for the  Chicago-based 2022-23 Lynx Amplify Project, which pairs autistic poets with composers to set their words to music. She is an active member of the Spellers and Allies Advocacy Network and the  Nonspeaking Leadership Council. Sofia types or uses a letterboard to communicate.