Our meeting on April 8th was a thought provoking one. We had 18 people there, and three first-timers (welcome Les-Shawn, Nasheem, and Vanessa!!).
We began by talking about Lazaro Arbos run on American Idol. There has a been some discussion on the interwebs about him getting the “sympathy vote” because of his stuttering – and suspecting that he uses stuttering to his advantage. Some group members thought that he should be “idolized” for his courage in the face of adversity. Some thought that the speculation exposed a common misunderstanding about the variability of stuttering.
Per usual, we eventually arrived at the discussion of advertising our stuttering. One of our members shared that though he worries about how he comes across at work and in interviews, he does not feel comfortable advertising in such a high pressure, public speaking focused profession. Some members thought that being open about his stuttering could really help, while others identified with his situation. In the end, we all agreed that advertising is not a formulaic quick fix, and everyone must find out what works for them.
!!!VERY SPECIAL NEWS!!!
Katherine Preston, one of our very own Brooklyn NSA members, has not only written a memoir about stuttering, but has been published! Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice will be released on April 16th. Buy the book, read the book, share the book.
You are all invited to her BOOK LAUNCH this Tuesday!
Until we meet again (May 13th)….