Class Description
Many of us have read and admired the contemporary works of Rafael Campo, Abraham Verghese, Louise Aronson, and Atul Gawande—to name just a few writers who are also practicing physicians. Collectively, their work provides an insight into the world of patient care. It is also an outgrowth of the growing interest in and commitment to the intersection between the world of healthcare and wellness and that of creative writing. In the U.S., there is a growing body of hospital-sponsored and standalone literary journals that publish writing focusing on the body, the psyche, our health, and how we, as providers, help others get better.
This class, a blend of instruction, writing exercises, sharing, and discussion along with handouts of suggested resources and samples, will be an introduction to the genre of the personal essay and to writing publishable and universally understood essays. We'll also cover ethics for nonfiction writers as well as ethical and legal considerations particular to healthcare professionals.
The class is geared mainly toward nurses, doctors, residents, nurse practitioners, administrators, social workers, counselors, or anyone who works in healthcare and is also interested in creative writing, but it is also suitable for non-clinical writers who have struggled with their own illnesses or who have been consumers of the American healthcare system.
Registered students will be emailed a sample personal essay about wellness or clinical practice to read before the class date. We'll discuss this essay and use it as an example and a template of what the personal essay genre involves.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!