The 23^rd edition of Upstate Medical University’s journal of literary and visual arts, “The Healing Muse,” offers readers stories of hope and healing among what seems to be never ending negative news.

Editor Deirdre Neilen, PhD, associate professor of bioethics and humanities, writes in her opening letter that the new edition is a way to turn down “the noise, the heat and the anxiety” in our lives.

“My goal is to provide a space for quiet reflection,” she said. “That’s what writing does for the writer. And then that’s what writing does for the reader. If you can pick up a copy of our book and sit somewhere in your house for 20 minutes and read some poems, your body slows down during that time. You turn off your devices and you’re not running to look at the latest horror story. Books like “The Healing Muse” remind you there are really good people in the world who see things happening and write about them.”

Published by Upstate’s Center for Bioethics and Humanities, “The Healing Muse” features fiction, poetry, narratives, essays, memoirs and visual art, particularly but not exclusively focusing on themes of medicine, illness, disability and healing. What started as an outlet for Upstate’s nursing students, this year’s edition received more than 1,000 submissions from around the globe.

Two Upstate medical students and one Upstate physician have published pieces in the journal.

Upstate pediatrician Jaclyn Sisskind, MD, and second-year medical student Abha Japi are the recipients of Dearing Writing Awards, a competition open to all Upstate students and employees.

Sisskind won for her poem “Apart” and Japi won for her poem “We’ll Laugh Until Our Ribs Get Tough.”

Japi’s poem chronicles a lifelong friendship and her desire to etch their commitment to each other into her skin with matching tattoos.

“Friendship can fit into healing,” Neilen said. “It’s quite clear that for the speaker in that poem the friendship has been a lifeline.”

Japi grew up as an avid reader who always kept a journal and did both creative writing and journalism in high school. Now her goal is to combine literature and writing with medicine. She finds herself drawn to psychiatry as she enjoys the interaction and relationships with patients.

“I also find with psychiatry it’s a lot like a story when you’re getting history from the patient,” she said. “It’s the most important part of the psychiatric interview and that’s similar to writing and building narrative.”

Japi makes time for journaling even during the busy days of being a med student.

“If I am really stressed with school work it helps me if I just get stuff down on paper,” she said. “I am actually more productive if I let everything out and get it off my chest. It is always a nice creative break from all the studying.”

Third-year medical student Katie Farkouh, who had her poem “Ego” published in this year’s edition, also journals regularly to help deal with the stress of medical school. When she learned about the “The Healing Muse” it inspired her to write poetry again, which she hadn’t done in years. “Ego” is her first published piece.

“It is absolutely crucial to find time to pursue your hobbies during medical school,” she said. “I have found that when my studies take over too much of everyday life, I do not feel as happy or fulfilled,” Farkouh said. “While we all love medicine, I think many other students share this sentiment as well. We need a balance in our lives, so we must be intentional about making time to explore other hobbies and outlets.”

For more on The Healing Muse, check out Upstate's Informed Patient Podcast

To purchase an issues of “The Healing Muse” at $12 a copy go to: thehealingmuse.org

Submissions for next year’s issue are open now through March. For guidelines and to submit, go here. 

Caption: Upstate medical students Abha Japi, left, and Katie Farkouh had their poems published in the most recent volume of The Healing Muse, out of more than 1,000 submissions worldwide.