Breaking stigmas, battling taboos, and exploring new, exciting understandings of stammering

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Celebrating stammering and the arts

Breaking stigmas, battling taboos, and exploring new, exciting understandings of stammering.

It’s not uncommon for a person who stammers to have not spoken to another stammerer and for them to feel alone, not understood or even feel that they need to hide their stammer from society. A group of stammerers want to change this and have come together to organise an event focused on celebrating stammering.

The online event called ‘Celebrating Stammering and the Arts’ is taking place on Saturday 6 March, 2pm – 5pm and it is an afternoon of talks and workshops celebrating the creativity of people who stammer presented by The Cambridge Stammering Self Help Group.

Recently, there has been increased publicity around stammering, with Joe Biden becoming President, the publication of several high-profile books about stammering and features on TV, radio and in the newspapers. The event is set to carry on the conversation and celebrate people who stammer, particularly those in the arts.

Throughout the afternoon, there will be keynote speakers and break-out sessions about comedy, cartoon drawing, writing, acting, visual arts, documentary making and working in the creative industries.

One of the speakers at the event is Paul Aston, 54, a painter based in Cambridge. Paul has only in the last year spoken to other stammerers and for the first time, hasn’t felt isolated with his stammer. Paul said “Paul said “A friend introduced me to the Cambridge Stammering Self Help Group at the start of the first lockdown. Speaking to group members, incredibly the first fellow stammerers I have ever met, has helped me to flip my understanding of stammering."

“That my stammer isn’t my problem to hide, it’s not an imperfection, it is part of me, and we need to learn to celebrate this integral part of us. Since I’ve had this realisation and spoken to fellow stammerers, I feel like half the weight of the stammer has gone.”

“I decided to paint a self-portrait, but of me stammering. I did some research, and I couldn’t find a painting out there showing someone stammering. I wanted to get the image of people stammering out there, for us to be represented. We’re part of our modern culture and society needs to take a different approach and not hide away from something that makes them feel uncomfortable.”

“I think the Celebrating Stammering and the Arts event is fantastic, and I think it’s great that in the last year or so, talking openly about stammering has really taken off. And I hope it changes people’s perception of their stammers because it is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”

The event also has workshops for children who stammer and their parents, music making, poetry, dance, advice on accessing university courses, stammering in the media, an LGBTQI+ group and even a chillout room to chat and make friends.

For more information on the event, visit stamma.org/connect/events/celebration-stammering-arts

ENDS

Note to Editors

For further information please contact Rhian Binns on 07970329184, rhianbinns@hotmail.com

Or Rob Coe, Cambridge Self Help Group for Adults who Stammer on 07917 830299, cambridgeselfhelp@hotmail.co.uk