UI doctors practice creativity as part of writing group

	The Internal Medicine Writers' Group in the Carver College of Medicine discusses one member's writing after a round-table reading. The group provides a creative outlet for UI physicians seeking the opportunity to craft and share their work. Photo by Tim Schoon.

In an occasional break from their scientific, fact-filled lives, some University of Iowa physicians are indulging their creative sides.

The Internal Medicine Writers’ Group—made up of several faculty, fellows, residents, and emeritus faculty primarily from the Department of Internal Medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine—aims to give a creative outlet to medical professionals who otherwise might not have the opportunity to craft and share their work.

Participants write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or personal essays, and meet once a month for about an hour to read, critique, and discuss drafts with their colleagues. About 50 physicians have participated at least once in the writers’ group, with attendance ranging anywhere from two to 15 people per session.

“The University of Iowa has a wonderful tradition of literary excellence in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop,” says Scott Vogelgesang, clinical professor and director of the internal medicine residency program. “I think it’s important to take advantage of this local expertise, particularly since we have a number of physicians with an interest in writing and literature.”

For doctors, the stresses of daily life may produce a greater desire to have a creative outlet, says Loreen Herwaldt, professor of internal medicine and one of the group’s writers.

“Our profession is very intense. It deals with life-and-death issues, and issues with tremendous ethical and moral ramifications,” she says. “We hear and witness stories every day. If you don’t have an outlet for them, you can become like the Dead Sea.”

“I think everyone will be a better person if he or she has a creative outlet,” says James Christensen, professor emeritus of internal medicine. “It is absolutely essential for one to be a complete person.”

Many of the writers say their inspiration comes from their day-to-day encounters while practicing medicine. “The Family in the Waiting Room,” a poem by Christensen, is based on his impressions of the way people deal with life events. It has been selected for publication in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, in a section dealing with humanities and medicine.

Being published is nothing new to most of the doctors, who have published numerous scientific studies in various medical journals and book chapters. But they say that having their creative work critiqued brings better quality to their writing.

“Having my work discussed by the group enables me to see how people react to the piece,” says Herwaldt, who wrote a poem published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2002. “I can learn what was understood and what wasn’t clear, what worked and what didn’t. I can learn how to make the piece better.”

Short story author Arti Barnes, a resident in internal medicine who has participated in the group for about a year, agrees. “Constructive criticism brings more focus to your work. It helps you look at your work more objectively,” she says.

Arranging meetings for busy physicians can be challenging, says the group’s moderator, Margaret LeMay-Lewis, writing program coordinator in the Carver College of Medicine’s Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum.

“Still, that makes seeing faces you haven’t seen for a little while a little more special,” says LeMay-Lewis, a 2001 graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and finalist for the 2007 Four Way Books Levis Poetry Prize. “I enjoy the group, and I am honored to have the chance to be a part of it and meet such great people.”

by Brandy Huseman