We had a vibrant meeting in Brooklyn last night. There were 20 stutterers (and 1 SLP student) in attendance, with five there for the first time (Welcome Ana, Kathryn, Mordechair, Paul, Yaakov!). Chris S kicked off the group by airing Oscar-winning short film Stutterer. For those who haven’t seen or heard of this film – it depicts a few days in the life of a young male stutterer, and it gets real.
The 10+ minute film really got all of us right in the gut. Chris elicited some varied reactions to the film. Some of us thought it was a strikingly accurate depiction of how stuttering can rule one’s life on a day-to-day basis. Some of us thought it was excessively painful, depicting stutterers as wounded souls. Some of us thought the ending was weird, and others thought it was a beautiful metaphor. I think an interesting comment came from Emma, who commented on the “cleverness” of the film and its ending, which could be viewed as an objectification of the stuttering experience, rather than truly a mile in a stutterers shoes. Whatever it was, it was certainly a work of art.
Most of us agreed that regardless of our interpretation of the film, we are both happy it was made and want more diverse depictions of the stuttering in the media. Stuttering can place us squarely alone in our heads but it can also be worn with pride or indifference and can even connect us more deeply to the world around us.
Speaking of stuttering stories, The Way We Talk is screening at NYU next Monday (March 21st) @ 7pm. It is a full-length documentary made over the course of a few years by a stutterer from Oregon. Word on the stuttering street is that the film is powerful and stirring. The NYC Chapter Leaders have been coveting it for the past year or so, and it is finally coming to a theater near us! The event is co-sponsored by the American Institute for Stuttering and the Stuttering Association for the Young.
Watch the trailer here and buy tickets here
Reminders
- Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 15th! It will be our FIRST day of workshops to empower people who stutter in the NYC area. It will take place at the Atlantic Acting School in Chelsea, Manhattan from 10A-5PM and is open to all adults and mature teens that stutter. We have some great workshops, guest speakers and debates prepared to spark discussion. Here is the link to our fundraising campaign, where you can learn a bit more. Stay tuned for more details!
- March 18th & 19th: The Stuttering Association for the Young: Short Plays.Join SAY as they celebrate young people who stutter while they share their original short plays. Find out more and reserve tickets here. These kids and their performances are always moving and brilliant, so be sure to catch it if you haven’t in the past!
We are trying to come up with a handshake specifically for people who stutter. Our groups are getting so full of lovely people, and hugging everyone hello and goodbye just doesn’t cut it. Any ideas are welcome. Gabriel so kindly suggested something like this.
Thanks for guiding a great conversation last night, Chris!
See you all soon!
Roisin