Narrative Writing Program
The Narrative Writing Program (NWP) provides faculty with the opportunity to develop narrative skills and gain confidence through in-class reflective writing, close reading and discussion of literary works of various genres, and writing workshops. Such narrative training fosters writing skills and can help guide participants to share stories of their professional work with a broader audience. The NWP training can enhance professional well-being and foster compassion for self and others. The curriculum is designed to help faculty—including clinicians, educators, scientists, and public health professionals—to engage with stories and storytelling themes at the intersection of their own lives and those of their students/trainees and the public. The program coaches participants through the process of writing and revising a narrative, which could include personal essays, fiction, poetry, op-ed, or other types of non-research writing. By the end of the course, participants will have written and revised a piece of writing suitable for submission for publication.
Program Directors: Sarah Wingerter, MD , and Jennifer Beard, PhD, MPH, MA.
2025-2026 Applications are open April 7th – May 26th, 2025.
You cannot save your application once you have started it, so please prepare your answers in advance. A Word version of the application is available here. Additionally, you can find the BU CV format here.
FY26 dates are listed below.
Learning Objectives:
- Acquire new writing competencies and self-efficacy to generate publishable narratives.
- Foster reflection and finding one’s voice for professional and personal well-being.
- Engage more empathically with patients, learners, colleagues, and self, refining skills for listening and interpreting personal narratives.
- Develop essential skills for effective leadership (emotional awareness, openness, compassion, etc.).
- Learn about the importance of storytelling for career development
Target Participants:
- All BU Medical Campus Faculty are welcome to apply
- Must have a BU faculty appointment to be considered
Commitment:
10 sessions October to June, Thursdays via zoom from 5-7 pm
FY26 Dates:
- October 9th, 2025
- November 6th, 2025
- December 4th, 2025
- January 15th, 2026
- February 5th, 2026
- March 5th, 2026
- March 26th, 2026
- April 16th, 2026
- May 14th, 2026
- June 11th, 2026
Program Components
- Experiential seminars, based on the pre-readings, involve discussions centered on writing theory and analysis of literary texts. Seminars also include spontaneous reflective writing exercises, in which participants are prompted to address significant and/or difficult experiences with patients, learners, colleagues, and/or self. Writing subsequently may be shared with the group for discussion.
- Writing workshops, in which participants have the opportunity to read their work-in-progress narratives aloud and receive peer feedback. Workshop time also may focus on applying technical skills learned from creative/reflective writing to other forms of narrative (essays, advocacy, education-focused manuscripts, etc.).
- The NWP was founded in 2018 by Christy Di Frances, PhD, MA, Sarah Wingerter, MD, and Emelia Benjamin, MD, ScM. Course Directors in AY 2019-20 are Sarah Wingerter, MD and Jennifer Beard, PhD, MPH, MA.
Current & Past Participants
Participant Publications
2024
2023
2022
- Mitchell, E. And Breathe. American College of Emergency Physicians Medical Humanities Section Award Winner. 2022
- Beard, J. Over 30 years ago, she read billboard: ‘Pregnant? We can help.’ Then she took the wrong turn. Boston Globe Opinion. 2022
- Beard, J. Teaching Public Health Writing. Oxford University Press. 2022
- Merrill, Andrea L. MD Free Solo Surgery, Annals of Surgery: August 2022 – Volume 276 – Issue 2 – p e77-e78
- Janulewicz Lloyd, P. Vaccine Pool Grows Fight Goes. Boston Globe. 2022
- Lasser, K. A Tale of One City. Pulse Voices from the Heart of Medicine. 2022
- Lasser, K. La Emergencia. Pulse Voices from the Heart of Medicine. 2022
- Lasser, K. The Gift of a Botched Surgery. Pulse Voices from the Heart of Medicine. 2022
2021
2020
- Beard, J. Liberty story needs nuance and empathy. Tribune Chronicle Op-ed. 2020
- Beard, J. Looking for the Mothers: Connecting Bereaved Parents with Grief Counselors in Zambia. Faculty Opinions Blog.2020
- Di Frances CD. Reading Eucalyptus: Reflections on Narrative Education in Medicine and Health Sciences. JHR. 2020
- Fix, Gemmae. March 9, 2020. The Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research. 2020
- Gerber, MR. The Things They Carry: Veterans and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2020
- Gergen-Barnett, Katherine. The multitude and magnitude of coronavrius stressors on children. Boston Globe. 2020
- Gergen-Barnett, Katherine. The coming second peak of coronavrius. Boston Globe. 2020
- Gergen Barnett, Katherine. With coronavirus lurking, forgive me if I don’t shake your hand. Boston Globe. 2020
- Mitchell, EL. The Apocalypse. NY Times. 2020
2019
2018
Writing Resources
- Narrative Writing: Selected Venues for Publication with Short Descriptions
- Some Narratives by Physicians & Scientists
- University of Oxford Style Guide (concise PDF for free download)
- BU/BMC Grant Writing & Editing Services
- Resources on HIPAA and writing about patients:
- Books on Writing:
- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions for Writing and Life
- Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
- John McPhee, Draft No.4: On the Writing Process
- Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: 25th Anniversary Edition
- Lucile Vaughan Payne, The Lively Art of Writing
- Mark Kramer, Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide
- Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
- Roy Peter Clark, Writing Tools: 55 Strategies for Every Writer
- Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
- Thomas Newkirk & Lisa C. Miller, eds. The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from America’s Greatest Writing Teacher
- Tracy Kidder, Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction
- William Strunk & EB White, The Elements of Style
- William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
NWP Scholarship
- A Caregiving Chasm: Professor Reflects on the Shortcomings of the US Healthcare System. Jones, M. 2024
- The call for science communication and public scholarship. Beard, J., Wang, M. & Britton, J.O.
- “Getting Started”: A Pilot Introductory Narrative Writing Session for Interprofessional Faculty in Academic Health Sciences. Remein CD, Childs E, Beard J, Demers LB, Benjamin EJ, Wingerter SL.
- Content and Outcomes of Narrative Medicine Programmes: A Systemic Review of the Literature Through 2019. Remein CD, Childs E, Pasco JC, Trinquart L, Flynn DB, Wingerter SL, Bhasin RM, Demers LB, Benjamin EJ.
- 2018 NWP Pilot Poster Presentation with References & Course Information
BU intends that its facilities, programming and academic offerings will be accessible, inclusive and diverse. Your experience in this event is important to us. If you require communication access services for the deaf or hard of hearing, or require an accommodation for another reason, please contact bumcfdd@bu.edu to discuss your needs. Please see Event Accessibility for details on accommodations.
For more information about the NWP, please contact us at bumcfdd@bu.edu
