I grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, home of Thelonius Monk and the best barbeque in the world, the town where Jack Kerouac had a library card, and where Jim Thorp played a controversial game of baseball. I was encouraged to write by wonderful English teachers, Elizabeth Hardy and Peggie Murray among them, and entertained by the wonderful storytellers of eastern NC.
I would have never imagined my poetry being so entwined with medicine, but it works. I love bringing the solace and humanity of poetry into the medical world that can sometimes be hectic, technical and at worst, de-humanizing. When we enter the hospital, we can’t help but lose some of our identity as we trade our clothes for gowns, our names for a diagnosis, lose the self worth we gain through our work and community and say goodbye to so many of our personal pleasures. I believe the arts can help patients regain a sense of themselves as they create and share their stories. Writing especially can help us make sense of our experiences and gain perspective.
