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. Course directors: Sarah Wingerter, MD , and Jennifer Beard, PhD, MPH, MA.

AY24 Applications will open on April 3rd and close on May 15th, 2023.

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.

Eligible Participants
All BUMC Faculty

Time Commitment:
10 sessions September to May, Thursdays via zoom from 4-6 pm:

• AY23 Dates
  • September 15, 2022
  • October 6, 2022
  • November 3, 2022
  • December 1, 2022
  • January 12, 2023
  • February 2, 2023
  • March 2, 2023
  • April 6, 2023
  • May 11, 2023
  • June 1, 2023

Course Readings
Course readings include: literary fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, opinion pieces, commentaries, etc. Current NWP participants, please click here for access to monthly readings.

Course 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.

Course Structure

Typical sessions include:

• 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.

For more information about the NWP, please contact us at bumcfdd@bu.edu