Our Stories

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Here’s what’s happening on in our corner of Narrative Medicine. What’s going on in yours? Drop us a line and let us know!

RX: A Poetic Act of Resistance and Resilience

What gives us olagaWhat gives us soifua maloloina The rationed insulin                                                 The hard pills to swallow Only heal the                         Physical                                                 Pain What prescription              Can be written                                     To heal the                                                              Trauma                                                                         We have                                                                                      Survived Our hypertension             Is a reflection                          Of the stress                                      And salty diets forced upon us                                As our culture was stolen What could I prescribe…

“I can’t breathe.”

These are the devastating words uttered by George Floyd before he was murdered by a white police officer on May 25, 2020. Collectively, our communities and cities are breathing, shouting, and demanding justice for Mr. Floyd and countless other men, women, and children of color before him. At Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative, Black Lives Matter…

Interrupted

Life has been interrupted. I’ve taken on these interruptions, like all of us, wearing different hats. The doctor, mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, and friend hats transform my reactions based on the role I inhabit. My responses to the interruptions have been as varied as the roles. I imagine yours have to. There is fear,…

How We Began: Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative’s History

In 2014, April Brenneman googled “Portland Narrative Medicine” and found Elizabeth Lahti, the newly appointed director of narrative medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. April, the mother of a cancer survivor, told Elizabeth the story of how one day she pulled her son’s X-rays from the kitchen drawer and started painting over them, using…

Storytelling Series the Interstitium Gives Health Care Professionals a Place to Vent—And Invites the Public to Listen

Ben Colburn knows a storytelling event geared toward the medical profession can easily get gory. With the Interstitium, Colburn, a third-year family medicine resident at Oregon Health & Science University, invites his peers—from surgeons on down to hospital custodians, and even some patients—to get onstage and share their experiences within the health care industry. But don’t expect to hear a lot about botched surgeries or the sudden expulsion of body fluids.

Out of My Scope

Please join us for the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative’s fourth Seattle Storytelling event. We invite you to tell a medicine/health-related story on the theme “Out of my Scope.” Your story can be funny, serious, heartfelt, absurd, lyrical, etc. It can be expressed as a narrative, poem, song, or any genre of your liking. We are…

Storytelling Workshop with Sam Blackman MD

Please join the Seattle Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative for an interactive Storytelling workshop facilitated by Master Storyteller Sam Blackman. Dr. Blackman has told stories for The Moth, The Interstitium and Ignite Seattle. This workshop will be held on 2 contiguous Sundays – January 26th and February 2nd, from 10am-1pm. The goal will be to craft…

What Was Lost in Translation

Please join us for the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative’s third Seattle Storytelling event. We invite you to tell a medicine/health-related story on the theme “What Was Lost In Translation.” Your story can be funny, serious, heartfelt, absurd, lyrical, etc. It can be expressed as a narrative, poem, song, or any genre of your liking. We…

The Interstitium: I have a gift for you

The space is Portland-hip: Cup & Bar serves artisan coffee and avocado toast, and we crowd together on artfully rough-hewn wooden benches. The audience is warm: supportive, attentive and intimate, 50-people strong and the show is standing room only. The stories told at the mic are real.

What I Didn’t Know

Please join us for the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative’s second Seattle Storytelling event. We invite you to tell a health-care related story on the theme “What I Didn’t Know.” Your story can be funny, serious, heartfelt, absurd, lyrical, etc. We are seeking story-tellers and story-appreciators, as we gather together to build a narrative medicine community.…

The Interstitium: My First Time

The event sold out within 10 days, revealing a deep desire for narrative medicine in Seattle. The storytelling was captivating, vulnerable, and meaningful–all themes that align with the practice of medicine.

My First Time

Please join us for the Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative’s inaugural Seattle event, featuring storytelling by health care professionals. We invite you to tell a health-care related story on the theme, “My First Time”. Your story can be funny, serious, heartfelt, absurd, lyrical, etc. We are seeking story-tellers and story-appreciators, as we gather together to build…

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