Here are more wonderful pieces from the current issue of Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine I am happy to recommend.
Fiction:
Conservation of Mass(es) - Evelyn Potochny
This short story by a pathologist brought to mind some of the best writing I have encountered by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD and Oscar Wilde. See if you agree.
The first time I made cancer disappear was in the spring...No, I couldn’t explain it, not enough to prove it and certainly not enough to harness it at will and replicate it.
Non-fiction:
A Genesis - Victoria Johnson
This powerful first-person account by a physician shares her thoughts while waiting for her unborn child to appear.
It was clear something was really wrong. Was it just the missing kidney or was this the first clue of congenital defects?
Field Notes:
Invisible - Joanne Wilkinson
This evocative essay shares a common mystery of the work caregivers do as they accompany patients who no longer have the ability to respond to the small acts of kindness and accompaniment. Where do those gestures go?
I thought, when I became a doctor, that one day I would know the answers, but more and more I feel I am just making motions on the sidelines of other people’s tragedies, and maybe not affecting them in any meaningful way.
Poetry:
Inside the Bubble - Ann Matzke
A child life specialist writes about her encounter with a young patient being treated for cancer.
At seven, you struggle to read Hop on Pop. | Yet, you’re fluent in the subtext | that swims in the shallow pools | of our eyes.
Studio Art:
Running Late - Rachel Mindrup
Artist Rachel Mindrup writes, "There is a one specialist who is always running late. It isn't necessarily his fault, but we sometimes wonder why they even have us sit in the examination room so long before he gets there."
I am honored to be one of the nonfiction editors. Explore the rest of the issue here!
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More Great Writing from the Fall 2024 Issue of The Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine
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