June 5, 2025

We met in-person at A to Z Speech Therapy with 5 people (4 PWS, 1 SLP). After introductions, we did an activity to spark personal reflection and group conversation. The activity was in two parts. Part one was to write a memoir title and subtitle about the life you’ve lived so far. Part two was to pretend you are 20 years older and writing a new memoir about the life you’ve since lived.

The goal of the activity was to learn how our story may have changed from the first title to the second title. Everyone in the meeting delivered GOLD.

Matthew’s first memoir was titled, “TRAPPED IN A STUTTER: Light Behind a Stuttering Camera.” His second title written in the future was, “ I STUTTER (So What)”

Bryan’s first memoir was titled, “KEEP MOVING, CHANGE LANES LATER: How I Persevered Though My Life.” His second title was, “ FRUITS OF LABOR: Sweating Blood to Sipping Wine.”

Everyone’s book titles shed light on where their stuttering journey has taken them to present day and how they’ve grown within their stuttering journey.

We enjoyed great conversation and we all left tightening our friendships and increasing our personal relationship to our stutter.

Earlier in the day, I (John Moore) drove up to Black Mountain, NC to have lunch with Allan Brown. He’s in his early 80s and no longer makes the 90-min drive to Greenville to attend our meeting. Instead, I brought the meeting to him and his wife (Jean). Together, they wrote the title for Allan’s memoir … “ SINGING WITH THE CHOIR: Where My Stutter Disappears.”

I asked Allan why he enjoys singing so much and he said it’s because he doesn’t stutter when he sings.

(Of course, I had to see what a mock-up would look like if this book came to be.)