The Slow Newscast Finding my voice
Dec 31, 2024
Xavier Greenwood, a journalist and essayist, shares his profound journey of overcoming a childhood speech impediment and rediscovering his voice. He reflects on the influence of therapy and moving schools, questioning the reliability of his memories versus those of his mother. In a fascinating twist, he explores digital sleuthing by using the Wayback Machine to revisit his 10-year-old self’s audio recordings, allowing him to confront how memory and recordings shape his identity. It's a captivating tale of self-discovery and the power of voice.
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Nativity Moment That Shaped Childhood
- Xavier recalls a nativity play where his thick northern accent and speech impediment made him a target for laughter.
- He describes schooldays of being small, teased, and sometimes put in a bin which shaped his memory of belonging.
Church Reading That Went Wrong
- Xavier recounts reading Genesis 3 in church and losing his place after classmates laughed at the word 'naked'.
- The moment froze him, causing a vivid memory of embarrassment and a public 'Oh no!'
Memory's Unreliability, Especially Voice
- Xavier explores false memories and questions how reliable recollection can be compared to others' memories.
- He notes that voices and accents are slippery memories, hard to verify decades later.
