STAMMAFest 2024!
So, it’s been a week since I came home from STAMMAFest 2024 which means I’ve had a week to reflect on my experiences of the conference. Again, like in 2022, its hard to put into words how I feel about attending STAMMAFest this year. But one thing I know for sure is that whenever I spend any length of time surrounded by stuttering voices, I am in awe and inspired by them.
As a person who stutters in a world that is not so accepting of difference, it is so refreshing when I get to converse with someone else who stutters and to be listened to so intently that I forget that I am speaking differently. On a day to day basis, stuttering is challenging for me because even though I have accepted that my stutter is a part of me and I do not let it hold me back, I often have a moment of panic when I do stutter in front of someone because I feel that I am ‘wasting their time’. STAMMAFest does the opposite. I almost relish in the moments that I stutter at STAMMAFest because I know that it is encouraged to speak however you want and to take up as much time as you need.
This STAMMAFest was particularly special to me because I actually had the opportunity to host a workshop called The Power of Poetry. This workshop will 100% be going on my top accomplishments list! It was so special to be able to share my experience as a person who stutters and as a stuttering poet. I got to share a few of my poems as well, which was a tad scary as I rarely get to share my poetry in real time. Then I got the participants of my workshop to write their own poems and share them at the end. This was definitely my favourite part of my workshop. Hearing so many stuttering voices sharing words that they had written was music to my ears. (And really cool because they only had 15 minutes to write their poems and they were all so good, no lie!)
Another really amazing experience that I had was speaking at the first ever Stammering Pride Rally, which was held on the Saturday of the conference! This event was so incredible; everyone celebrating their voices and being proud of their stutters. There was such an immense pride in everyone. There was a great buzz; seeing everyone chatting and laughing before the speeches, music blaring, and then a deep sense of focus and quiet as people spoke. From people who stutter, Speech and Language Therapists, partners, friends - we formed a community, a movement, in that moment. A person who stutters can often be the quietest person in the room. A group of people who stutter can not be silenced. And this years Stammering Pride Rally was proof of that!
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