First Blogpost & Updates
Greeting Stewards,
We are so excited to finally put out our first blog post for everyone in order to bring you up to date on our pilot activities to date. So far, we have successfully held four forums (three intragenerational and one intergenerational). The conversations and stories in these forums have been heartfelt, hard, genuine, and beautiful. Everyone was able to bring something new to the table, and we are profoundly grateful to all who’ve helped to make the forums both illuminating and moving.
Our final forums are coming up in September and October, followed by our symposium (save the date!) on November 6. The symposium is free and open to anyone who’s participated or expressed interest in our project, and we will be in touch soon with more information about how to register for the forum (which, at present, we expect to be a hybrid event with options for both in-person and virtual attendance).
Meanwhile, if you would like to dive more deeply into narrative medicine, Columbia produces a narrative medicine podcast called The Story Project Podcast which they describe this way: "This is a space where we talk with medical professionals, students, healthcare leaders, and patients who are interested in storytelling and its effects on illness and healthcare delivery. Through understanding how we receive and interpret each other’s narratives, we enrich our experiences in our healthcare journeys, as providers, patients, and changemakers."
You can check out that podcast here.
Lastly, remember that PAHS is seeking personal health narratives for a digital archive and potential future anthology. Specifically, we want unpublished nonfiction, first-person stories and/or nonfiction poetry by patients, caregivers, all health and mental health professionals, students and anyone else who wants to share experiences of giving or receiving health care. We are grateful for each and every submission and appreciate not only the time it takes to write your stories, but also the vulnerability and courage it takes to raise your voice.
If you have attended our forums, you have an idea of the principles we value in storytelling, including clear language, matter-of-factness and restraint in sharing emotionally charged material, and specific, concrete imagery that engages the senses and brings a story to life by incorporating details of the external, physical world that we all share. Nonetheless, even if you have never attended a PAHS forum, we want to hear your health story and strongly encourage you to share it.
By submitting your story to PAHS, you grant us permission to share your writing on our website. We may also wish to publish your work in a future anthology and/or other future publications or promotional materials, but would seek your specific, separate permission before doing so. Also, please check out the Share Your Story page for more information!
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at steward@umn.edu.
On behalf of the PAHS Team,
Asheanna