DURING THE 2020 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, America fell in love with 13-year-old Brayden Harrington, who talked about bonding with Joe Biden over their shared experience of stuttering. During the Biden presidency, you’ve heard a lot about people who stutter. I’d like you to hear from us directly. Here is some work about stuttering, created by […]
Our Stutter: Joe Biden, Brayden Harrington—and Me
Joe Biden’s narrative about conquering his stammer might be true for him. That doesn’t mean it should be imposed on the rest of us. Originally published in The Nation WHEN 13-YEAR-OLD BRAYDEN HARRINGTON peered into the camera during the Democratic National Convention and described his February meeting with Joe Biden, virtually everyone I know who stutters felt […]
Stammer Time
Stutterers reach beyond the medical model of disability. Originally published in The Baffler. Illustration © 2019 by L.T. Horowitz. THE LIGHTS DIMMED IN THE HOTEL BALLROOM. Several hundred people, including myself, waited for the surprise announcement. We were in Baltimore in 2015 for the annual convention of the National Stuttering Association (NSA). It was an […]
DNC Day 3: They Called Him B-Biden
Joe Biden and I are both stutterers. Tonight, for all who stutter, it’s our moment on the national stage. Originally published in Indy Week. I WAS WALKING TO THE PEPSI CENTER in Denver this week, talking with a former public official from Illinois. The conversation turned to Sen. Joe Biden. “I have a personal question,” she […]
Journalist, Interrupted
Why my stutter makes me a better reporter Originally published in the Journal of Michigan Fellows. Note: This column has been revised slightly to reflect the current state of the science and the language. It is also a snapshot in time. For a 2019 update on how I currently viewed stuttering, see my essay Stammer Time […]
Wrestling With Words
For stutterers, speaking is not just a physical handicap but also crippling psychological problem. Now gaining popularity is a radical—and controversial—notion: that stutterers are better off learning to accept their impediment rather than striving to overcome it. Originally published in Psychology Today. HEAD BOBBING, FACE GRIMACING, Vicki Schutter stood before a microphone in a Cleveland hotel and […]
Embraced in Spain
The author, stuttering in Spanish with a group of 20-year-old street kids. An all-time favorite.
