Press Release: Proud Stutter Creator Maya Chupkov Receives California Documentary Project Grant
SAN FRANCISCO — April 20, 2023 – Stuttering advocate and podcaster Maya Chupkov is the recipient of a 2023 California Documentary Project grant from California Humanities.
Chupkov was awarded $35,000 to support Bringing Unheard Stories of People Who Stutter in California to the Mainstream, a Proud Stutter limited audio documentary project that will lift up the diverse experiences of Californians who stutter across cultures, peoples and histories.
Her audio documentary will bring to life the multi-layered experience of Californians who stutter, a community that often feels marginalized and stigmatized because of harmful stereotypes that exist in popular culture.
“Proud Stutter's California Audio Documentary Project will illuminate nuanced stories with the goal of increasing accurate representation of people who stutter with the long term vision of making the world a safer place for the stuttering community, said Maya Chupkov, Creator of Proud Stutter. “I am so grateful to California Humanities for this honor. I’m so excited to expand my production team to include other creatives and community organizers who stutter.”
Chupkov’s project was one of 18 new film, audio, and interactive media productions that document California in all its complexity that were awarded California Documentary Project grants this year totaling $575,000.
Proud Stutter launched on October 22, 2021, on International Stuttering Awareness Day. The podcast was nominated for an Ambie Award for the Best DIY Category earlier this year and has been featured on Apple Podcast’s New & Noteworthy list.
The winning projects ranged from documentaries on the “godfather of Chicano theater and film,” Luis Valdez, Dalip Singh Saund’s 1956 congressional campaign to become the first Asian American member of the U.S. Congress; to veteran Marines struggling to return to civilian life after losing a fellow soldier in Afghanistan, as well the changing concept of “wilderness” across the state’s public lands.
For over 40 years, California Humanities has been the leading funder of documentaries by, for, and about Californians. The 18 new CDP-supported projects for 2023 continue this important tradition of bringing essential California stories to both statewide and national audiences.
“We are pleased to offer support to these impressive applicants,” said California Humanities President & CEO Julie Fry. “This talented group of storytellers will shine a light on a broad range of topics, approaches, and perspectives, particularly California’s rich history of art and culture and the people that have contributed to that legacy both in their own communities and across borders.”
Proud Stutter will be hosting several events during Stuttering Awareness Week, May 8 - May 13, 2023, including a Rally at California’s Capitol to call on the support of a statewide resolution to recognize the week, a first for any state in the U.S. Learn more about Proud Stutter and Stuttering Awareness Week here: proudstutter.com/stuttering-awareness-week.
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