Talking blogs

Blogging is an easy way to put your experiences and thoughts on the internet, and podcasters put up audio. Speaking Out asked some bloggers and podcasters on stammering to talk about what they do and why.

Stuttering Hub

Stuttering Hub will soon be reaching its 2nd anniversary. My main purpose for starting the blog was to provide a self-help resource for people who stammer, particularly for those people who are finding life difficult.

I'm a keen believer in self-improvement and most of the posts I write are in this area. I'm keen on getting across the message that a person can stammer, and still have a good quality of life. People can do this by deep self-awareness, self-development and confidence building. I use the blog as a way to express my own experiences with stammering, the challenges I had when younger, and the problems I overcame. I continue to share general experiences I have as a person who stammers in my daily life, and any enlightening moments I have along the way.

The greatest thing I've got from the blog is satisfaction. This is more so when, every so often, I get an email from a reader who has really enjoyed a post. It's great to know that what I write is having a positive impact on people who stammer. It's what Stuttering Hub is all about - inspiring and helping people who stammer to empower themselves. I love seeing people change and it is this which gives me the energy to continue writing.

Hiten Vyas - www.stutteringhub.com

The Stuttering Brain

The Stuttering Brain focuses on research. Blogging appealingly bypasses the gate keepers of the stuttering community like the editors of a stuttering journal or magazine, conference organiser, trustees or influential professors. I was tired of convincing people who did not understand science well. I had interesting and different things to say about stuttering and did not want to tone down my message. I also wanted to promote real debate in stuttering research and new areas like brain imaging and genetics.

I did expect my blog to do well if only I could keep up the motivation of posting, which I have. First, I was the first blog which gave me the first mover advantage. Second, I had the ability to get news on-line quickly and knew that I could get the news first due to my big network of contacts in all areas. Third, I tend to have the ability to catch people's attention for good or bad! Fourth, I felt that there was a real need for information, even researchers were badly informed about much research.

As a scientist, I say that I am not interested in making a difference for people who stutter, but I am interested in asking and answering the 'Why' question. As someone who stutters, I do not really care about why I stutter. I just want to get cured or helped and move on to more exciting stuff like black holes, quantum mechanics, neuroscience, finance and so on. So my ultimate goal really is to improve therapy in the selfish goal to help myself!

Dr Tom Weidig - http://thestutteringbrain.blogspot.com

StutterTalk.com

StutterTalk is a free, weekly, non-profit podcast devoted to stuttering. Our mission is to offer support to people who stutter, family members, and professionals by talking openly about stuttering and by providing information about stuttering.

The StutterTalk podcast is similar to a prerecorded radio show. Episodes are available by direct download and via streaming audio at www.StutterTalk.com and by subscribing via iTunes.

StutterTalk is co-hosted by Peter Reitzes, MA CCC-SLP and Eric Jackson, MA TSSLD. We are both people who stutter and professionals in the field. The show has featured conversations with dozens of people who stutter as well as speech-language pathologists and family members of people who stutter. StutterTalk has also interviewed numerous celebrities who stutter including John Stossel from ABC News and Jack Welch from General Electric.

StutterTalk routinely features conversations with respected researchers, including Dr. Dennis Drayna from the National Institutes of Health (a leading geneticist), Dr. Gerald Maguire from the University of California (a leading pharmaceutical researcher), and Dr. Luc de Nil from the University of Toronto (a leading brain imaging researcher). We have spoken with many respected therapists and counselors including Drs. Phil Schneider, Robert Quesal, Barry Guitar and David Luterman. Topics have included the process of change, speech therapy approaches and techniques, self help, covert stuttering, the marketing of materials, services and products related to stuttering, and much more. By featuring such a diverse group of people and topics, StutterTalk hopes to offer its listeners a rich and current source of stuttering information.

Join the conversation at www.stuttertalk.com

Peter Reitzes and Eric Jackson, USA

Stuttering is cool

Stuttering is a solitary experience since it can be difficult to meet other stutterers in our geographical location. So I launched my Stuttering is Cool podcast to encourage listeners to send in audio of themselves speaking which I play 'on the air'. This way, we hear each other and feel less alone in our stuttering no matter how far apart we live from each other. I also share my own experiences, and interview fellow stutterers on how they don't allow stuttering to hold them back. Stutterers helping stutterers!

Stuttering is Cool is also the name of my comic strip which I also share on the website. Like the podcast, my goal is to show that living with a stutter does not always have to come with a negative outlook.

In fact, it was the negativity on stuttering forums which prompted me to first start up my podcast. I had recently come to accept my stuttering and was eager to promote the benefits of my new perspective. And I'm glad I did - I've met cool stutterers all over the world, made great friends and learned a lot about stuttering.

By helping other people, I was helped too! I keep my head high during awkward and embarrassing moments of stuttering thanks to my online stuttering community. Stuttering is no longer the solitary experience it used to be.

The Internet is one big support group. There's a growing stuttering community on Twitter (I'm @stutterdude), I created a Stuttering is Cool Facebook fan page, and launched a companion site called Ti-Ger.org (check it out!).

Dannnnnie-le Rossi, Canada - www.stutteringiscool.com

Stuttering Student

I was aware that I hadn't really met a lot of stutterers in my life, and with the advent of the internet, I started to see that there are a lot of stutterers out there and their experiences are much like mine. I also noticed that there weren't a lot of resources or role models available for us. In many ways, we are very much on our own in our own small, yet valuable, lives. While resources do exist, they may be far away or expensive. At best, many of us are relegated to online resources.

As my blog grew, I began to hear from readers who expressed appreciation for what I was doing. Many said they got hope and inspiration from what they read. Others offered tips and helpful links to other blogs or websites dedicated to stuttering to show that, not only are we not alone, but also that we are a community that shares a common bond of understanding and support.

While there are many resources out there, mostly, we are left with what I think is the best resource available to us: each other. If I can read and find inspiration in the experiences of another stutterer who thrives despite this affliction, or if I can hear from a reader who finds inspiration in something that I say, then I am convinced that what we are doing is of tremendous value.

Tony Pearson, USA - http://stutteringstudent.blogspot.com

Make Room for the Stuttering

I have been a writer for as long as I can remember. I always felt that I could write better than I talked. Early experiences of others laughing when I would dare talk and stutter led me into the covert closet, where I stayed for many years.

Things started changing in my life and I was knocking on the covert closet door, wanting out. My insides were screaming that I no longer wanted to hide my stuttering. So I gradually pushed the closet door open, came out and began taking chances with openly stuttering. I still got occasional laughs and 'the looks' but suddenly I could stand up for myself and tell people that I didn't like that. I started talking about stuttering and all the emotions that go along with it. And I haven't stopped talking since!

I clearly remember my blog's birth. A close friend said that when he listened to me, he didn't hear stuttering, he heard all of the other stuff around it. He told me I was one of the most articulate people he knew and that I always 'made room for the stuttering.' I loved that phrase. It spoke to what I was doing and what I had always wanted to do. I wanted to live my life and simply make room for the stuttering. It made sense. My blog was born.

'Make room for the stuttering' is a place for honest talk about how stuttering affects my life, how I make room for it, and what I learn everyday from the experience.

Pamela Mertz, Albany, NY USA- www.stutterrockstar.wordpress.com

From Speaking Out Summer 2010, pages 6-7