When Daniele Rossi first started an on-line podcast in 2006, he meticulously edited out his stuttering, and did multiple takes of every show in order to give listeners at least the impression of stutter-free speech. It occurred to him one day that maybe it didn’t have to be that way. He began searching the web for groups and forums aimed at supporting and inspiring people who stutter.
Discovery
Dan’s on-line quest was disappointing. Most posts were negative and complaining – that is, until he came across the brilliant and upbeat StutterTalk podcast site. Inspired particularly by Greg Snyder, one of the hosts, Daniele started his own blog and podcast about stuttering. He wanted to put a light-hearted and positive spin on things, and ended up turning the whole typical attitude towards stuttering on its head by calling his podcast “Stuttering is Cool”.
Reaching out
This book chronicles Dan’s reaching out to the stuttering community with his podcasting, and how a world of friends and new adventures opened up for him as a result. Daniele releases all his creativity in this book, which is part comic format featuring a cute cartoon stuttering fox called “Franky Banky” and a mischievous baby tiger that pounces on unready stutterers. Creative typography sometimes forces the reader to turn the book on its side or upside down to read the text. Hand-drawn illustrations and sidebars interject amusing commentary along the way.
A healthy perspective
A humorous and light-hearted book with general information and personal observations, Stuttering is Cool is the perfect antidote to the emotional downturns that can leave so many people who stutter feeling disheartened. Daniele Rossi provides helpful advice along with a few smiles and laughs for people who stutter as they navigate an aggressive, fast-paced world.
You can visit the Stuttering is Cool site, or go directly to Etsy to purchase the book.