Presented by the University of Iowa Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center on International Stuttering Awareness Day. Proceeds from the event benefit UISPEAKS

DIALOGUE: Director Michael Turner in person for Q&A following the film.

THE WAY WE TALK

"Plainly narrated in an unapologetic stutter, The Way We Talk is a moving documentary about grappling with the parts of ourselves that make us feel ashamed." – ARTS WATCH

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:
The Way We Talk explores the ways stuttering has affected my life?the journey of coming to terms with stuttering not being curable, and it being inheritable. My mom, dad, brother, and grandpa all stuttered; stuttering is woven into every thread of my family story. On the verge of starting a family, I ask myself how I would react if I heard my own children stutter. What would I say to them?

The story moves us through personal memory, support groups, speech therapy, and a chance meeting on my honeymoon in Japan with a radical therapist named Shinji Ito. There is no revelation or cure in the story, just a step closer to being at peace with the fact that stuttering is hard, because life is hard, but also good, because life is good?and for me there is no one without the other.

The Way We Talk is a personal documentary intimately centered around a support group for people who stutter on their journey toward self-acceptance. As I confront my own stuttering, I reflect on how the way I talk has shaped my identity and my family story.