Keynote speaker Willemijn Bolks

About the speaker

Willemijn Bolks is an artist and person who stutters from the Netherlands. Since graduating from Art Academy Minerva in Groningen, she has been working as an illustrator and volunteering for the Dutch National Youth Council to help improve mental health services in the Netherlands.

Through her art project JustStutter and by connecting with the stuttering community, she has found acceptance and at times, even joy in stuttering. By sharing her work and helping organize activities and events, she hopes to give back to the community and support others on their journey.

Presentation topic:
Beyond speech: what stuttering can teach us about life

What happens when stuttering is allowed to exist without resistance, and what can we learn from that? In this presentation, Willemijn shares her personal journey with stuttering, from trying to suppress and manage it, to eventually embracing it and letting the stutter lead the way. Through art and other visuals, often made in collaboration with other people who stutter, she reflects on how stuttering can offer unexpected insights and teach skills that are valuable in areas like creativity, communication, and mental health.