National Stuttering Awareness Week
Monday, May 12th – Sunday, May 18th, 2025
Today marks the first day of National Stuttering Awareness Week. Each year, we have the opportunity to shed light on stuttering in our communities and deepen understanding even among those close to us. We want to invite you to make it your own this year!
Here are a few ideas to spark things:
- Celebrate yourself and reconnect with of your circle of support, whether virtually or in person
- Tell someone you stutter, and/or stutter openly in your day-to-day activities throughout the week
- Explore creative self-disclosures, such as adding a word or two about stuttering (or even a link to your preferred resource) in your email sign-off, or wearing something related to stuttering
- Invite people in your life (friends, family, teachers) to an Ask Me Anything about stuttering in honor of National Stuttering Awareness Week. You can post this invitation on social media or text it to your friends.
- Share something honest about stuttering with your loved ones. It could be humorous, serious, informative… the possibilities are endless.
- Read, watch, or share something by someone who stutters. Check out our YouTube channel, this reading list, and these messages from your Friends for ideas and inspiration.
- Support someone you know in the stuttering community, whether a fellow person who stutters, a parent, partner, or friend. A great way to do this is to give to the Friends scholarship fund, which needs your support.
- Simply be yourself and keep doing your thing. Around here, every week is Stuttering Awareness Week!
Leave a comment below with what you’re doing to celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week!
Books to Read, Share, and Celebrate
“We challenge the stereotype that stuttering is inherently negative, instead positioning it as a different, valuable and respected way of speaking.” — Patrick Campbell, Christopher Constantino, and Sam Simpson, editors of Stammering Pride and Prejudice
Here is an updated list of works by talented writers from within our stuttering community. These books span diverse genres including fiction, memoir, poetry, and essays. Reading and sharing these books with friends, family, and teachers is a great way to build awareness while celebrating the generative spirits of these incredible writers who stutter!
The Boy Who Found His Voice (2024)
by Tyler Gordon
From teen activist and artistic prodigy Tyler Gordon comes a heartwarming picture book inspired by his own life about a boy with a speech difference who learns the power of self-expression through art.
1000 Answers: What Everyone Should Know About Stuttering (2024)
by David Alpuche
Stuttering is commonly defined as a “speech disorder characterized by disruptions in the flow of speech,” but people who stutter can tell you there is much more to it than that! This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper, more personal understanding of stuttering.
Stuttering: From Shame and Anxiety to Confident Authenticity (2024)
by Hanan Hurwitz
In this book, Hanan Hurwitz, a stuttering researcher and a person who stutters himself, shares the practices and philosophies that helped him overcome his shame and anxiety, let go of the physical and emotional struggle with stuttering, and develop the confidence to finally speak up and live a fulfilling, shame-free life.
Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter (2023)
by John Hendrickson
An indelible account of perseverance, a soulful narrative about not giving up, and a glimpse into the process of making peace with our past and present selves.
Jayson Goes for It! (2023)
by Brayden Harrington and David Ritz
A fictional middle grade contemporary story about a boy named Jayson who stutters and the challenges he faces and the obstacles he must overcome as he campaigns for student-body president.
VoiceS Unearthed: The Impact of Early Intervention on Those Who Continue to Stutter (2023)
by Doreen Lenz Holte
The voices of 60 individuals, a combination of parents with older children who stutter and adults who stutter, on how early intervention impacted their quality of life. An essential perspective that sheds light on a safer, more effective way forward for parents and speech therapists.
Every Waking Moment: The Journey to Take Back My Life from the Trauma and Stigma of Stuttering (2022)
by Christopher Anderson
An intense, vulnerable, and insightful memoir showing how the struggle to communicate shapes the coming of age for those who stutter.
Brayden Speaks Up (2021)
by Brayden Harrington, illustrated by Betty C. Tang
A thirteen-year-old boy who stutters gives an incredible speech that electrifies the nation. A book that celebrates the importance of speaking up & using your voice.
I Talk Like a River (2020)
by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
Watch a Friends keynote and reading by the author here.
When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he’d like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice.
Stammering Pride & Prejudice: Difference not Defect (2019)
Edited by Patrick Campbell, Christopher Constantino, and Sam Simpson
Watch a Friends book talk with the authors and editors here.
Combines personal narrative, art, and disability theory. The first published book exploring stammering from a social model perspective.
When Oliver Speaks (2017)
by Kimberly Garvin and Saadiq Wicks
A heartfelt story about a young boy who stutters and finds the courage to accept it.
A Boy and a Jaguar (2014)
by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrated by Cátia Chien
Speaking for the animals he loves gives one boy’s life hope, purpose, and truth in this gorgeous picture book autobiography.
Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice (2013)
by Katherine Preston
A vividly powerful memoir of a young woman who fought for years to change who she was until she finally found her voice and learned to embrace her imperfection.
Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World (2013)
by Daniele Rossi
Daniele Rossi, who stuttered since he was four years old, shares his stuttering survival tips, stories, experiences, humour, and original comics to guide you in turning your speech into a super power. Enjoy the freedom of saying what you want to say no matter how much you stutter!
Stuttering: Inspiring Stories and Professional Wisdom (2012)
by StutterTalk
A wide range of experiences & knowledge from the stuttering community. Topics include growing up stuttering, chasing fluency, stuttering paradoxes, acceptance, the therapeutic alliance & much more.
And the list goes on! What a vast collection of knowledge and creativity from our stuttering community!
Is there a book from our community that you love and would recommend? Leave a comment below with your personal favorites! We invite all our Friends to share their faves with someone they know or on social media. Tell your friends what you liked most about the book and why you would recommend it.