Dear Reader,
As you’ll soon see, this varied collection of 55-word stories from University of Utah School of Medicine faculty members transcends specific writing genres. The writers have employed aspects of both poetry and prose to craft poignant vignettes of our experiences in medicine, education, and life. The purpose of this collection is to transmit emotional knowledge to each other, our trainees, and other interested readers. The booklets are specifically designed to carry with you, to serve as a reminder of our shared experience.
In our inaugural issue, faculty from across the School of Medicine tackle themes inherent to our roles as educators and working professionals. Our experiences include challenges and tragedies, humor and compassion. We have opened up to share our insecurities, personal lives, and vulnerabilities. To our authors, thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to share your stories. We are so grateful for your contributions to the collection. To those whom we teach, we hope that you enjoy perusing this publication as much as we have loved putting it together, and that you will be inspired to write your own stories. We have included blank pages to make notes so that you may record your narratives, whether they be 55 words in length or not. There is a special space for storytelling in the world of medicine, and we would love you to join us in bearing witness to the experiences of those we work with, as well as those we have the privilege of caring for. Write on.
-The Editors
Spring 2020