Norwich University Writers Series

Vigil and I have been invited to Norwich University! A new and cutting-edge multi-disciplinary course, “Narrative Medicine” is being taught by an English Professor and the Director of the School of Nursing. This course invites students to engage in stories about illness and caregiving and to consider the power of storytelling in the processes of caring and healing. Through a selection of readings and exercises that involve first-hand experiences, we will address how stories work to convey human experiences, the nuances of bearing witness, and the capacity to empathetically and compassionately respond to illness.  This course will benefit students in all majors grounded on the skills of listening and responding, including: nursing, social work, journalism, education, business, and criminal justice.

Rachel Lindsay’s book, Rx: A Graphic Memoir, and my book, Vigil: The Poetry of Presence, will be required texts for the course. We will be visiting the Narrative Medicine class for both presentation and discussion. Later in the day, Rachel and I will be featured in Norwich U’s Writer’s Series, presenting to a larger audience from the broader campus community. What a wonderful day that will be!