What a powerful meeting!

We had a special guest, Malisa Garlieb, who read four of her intimate poems about stuttering and having  a “voice”: A stutterer introduces herself (nominated for a Pushcart Prize!!), Cocoon Hardening and Softening (which you can read in the recap prior to this), Plunge, and Heard.

Her exceptional book (Handing Out Apples in Eden) can be found here.

Her poetry was impressive and led to a rich discussion.  For example, one theme was in regard to “hiding,” in general and as related to the stuttering.  One other member had an opposite (“seeking out”) sentiment in that he “wanted to be with people, but wasn’t able to.” His peers seemed to exclude him because of his stuttering even though he was social and well-liked.

One specific section of Cocoon Hardening led to discussion about being friends or enemies with the stuttering:  “My stutter–dear foe— gave too much away. Now stifled syllables calcify as little stones in my stomach.”
When asked which direction people tended to lean towards (the “dear” or the “foe” side of stuttering) most members talked about the foe side existing, but that it’s easier to cope with if their relationship with their stuttering was more on the “dear” side.
Other imagery from her poetry about stuttering was vivid:  silent carousel, trick trap door, bleat of judged goats in the grandstand, and mechanical latch.
We also discussed the possibility that the body actually remembers trauma after surgery (even under anesthesia) and can manifest in stuttering in some cases.
Overall, it was beyond a treat to have Malisa so honestly share her brilliant work and the discussion was amazing!
Looking forward to next meeting on Nov. 18th!