"The stuttering in my books is certainly not fiction. I am still on that journey.”
- Vince Vawter
"Now, in Manboy, Victor is 21 and takes on the larger task of acceptance of his stutter and learning to fi nd his voice.”
Through his works, Vawter has, at times, refl ected on his own journey with stuttering and what led to incorporating it as a major thematic element in his writing:
“It has been a central theme in my life. I did pass out on one occasion while trying to say my name. I did get embarrassed at a fancy restaurant and lose my spaghetti dinner in front of everybody. I did keep a thumbtack in my pocket and would jam it into my palm anytime I had to recite or read aloud in class. The stuttering in my books is certainly not fi ction. I am still on that journey.”
Vawter is thankful much has changed since he began speech therapy in 1951. “SLPs now treat the whole person, and emphasize the importance of overall health,” he added. “I’m glad it’s no longer the ‘one size fi ts all’ approach of my day.”
In addition to writing, Vince spends his retirement traveling the country — physically and virtually — discussing his books with schools, reading and education groups, as well as stuttering advocacy organizations.
In Vawter's Manboy, Victor Vollmer is 21 years old now and has been waiting for three years to reunite with Philomene Moreau, the South Louisiana free spirit who saved his life in the Mississippi River. Soon after “Phil” arrives in Memphis, Vic’s meticulously planned weekend comes crashing down as a world event suddenly unfolds.
Vic, still dealing with his worrisome stutter, and, Phil, needing badly to share her secret, grapple with the tumult paralyzing the city. Aiding in their desperate search to fi nd solace is a wise and steadying soul from Vic’s past.
Vince Vawter, a native of Memphis and a person who stutters, retired after a 40-year career in newspapers. He and his wife, Betty, live in Tennessee on a small farm in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. For more information, visit
VinceVawter.com.
Manboy is a work of historical fi ction set against the actual newspaper headlines of fi ve days in April 1968 that changed the world.
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