Narrative Medicine: A Healing & Writing Workshop (4 Wednesdays in October)

Narrative Medicine: a Writing & Healing Workshop

Bring your illness experiences (as a patient, survivor, caretaker, medical professional) and transform them into stories, memoir, or poetry. In each 2-hour session, we will read & discuss short pieces, then write together to a weekly theme. All are welcome; no previous writing experience necessary

Experiencing illness can feel like a loss of control. By narrating our experiences and molding them into stories, we can find peace and maybe feel like we regain our own power. This 4-week writing course allows you to share stories of your body, your illness, or your time spent caretaking others. All are welcome; it could be especially useful for people who experience/d illness, caretakers, medical professionals, and the bereaved.

Each meeting will explore a different healthcare theme (eg: diagnosis, treatment). We will start by reading a short related piece, followed by a brief discussion, and in-class writing time. There will be freedom to use different forms of writing (poetry, fiction, memoir) and weekly opportunities to share your work.

This writing workshop is facilitated by Rose Newnham. Rose’s experience in oral history and narrative medicine has focused on storytelling as a powerful tool to deal with trauma. While earning her MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia University, she facilitated writing groups at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for cancer patients & survivors, and for doctors on the HIV/AIDS Unit.

Host or Publisher 14th Street Y