Conversations With a Deaf Cat is the story of how Yolande and Michael taught English on a Canadian Indian reservation and cared for Yolande's mother for five months in the Netherlands until her death from ALS. It also tells about Michael's experiences as a native English speaker in a home with people who tried not to speak English whenever possible.


Michael and Yolande are English teachers and writers who travel the globe teaching non-English speaking students how to sound and write like native English speakers. Before teaching, Michael was a corporate manager and actor for thirty-odd years, while Yolande did almost everything (teaching, costuming, animal sheltering, etc.) Together, they have traveled all over the world and plan on continuing to do so until retirement (or partial retirement), whichever comes first. Michael also intends to keep writing, so be on the lookout for more stories about his adventures.