The Examined Life Conference: Writing, Humanities and the Art of Medicine

April 19 to 21, 2011 at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA

Pre-Conference Workshops

Creative writing workshops for writers of all kinds! Once again, the Carver College of Medicine will sponsor several long-format workshops. These opportunities are oriented toward building skills in writing and general enjoyment of life.

The registration for these workshops is below.

Two-day immersive workshop: Tuesday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 18, 2012

10 AM — 4 PM 256 IMU (Lucas Dodge Room) This workshop is open to healthcare practitioners and students only

Turning challenging patients into interesting people with the magic of creative writing , MB BS, MFM, FRACGP, North Coast GP Training, Lennox Head, NSW, Australia [NOTE: This workshop is two-days long. Be sure you're available for both days (Tuesday, 4/17 and Wednesday 4/18) before signing up.]As health practitioners, we are involved in writing ‘stories’ every day. The patient record is our interpretation of our patients’ stories (history) and a summary of our response to this (examination and management plan). The patient record does not allow for much creativity on the part of the writer, and is very limited in its ability to assist the practitioner in making sense of what has gone on for them at a personal level. This workshop will allow participants an opportunity to experience the use of stories and writing as a means of helping them to make better sense of what it means to be a health practitioner. Practical writing exercises will guide participants through a series of creative tasks which assist them in reflecting on the effect the practice of medicine has on their lives with the goal of increasing their enjoyment of medicine and life in general. Most of all, it will be an opportunity for some lighthearted fun with colleagues.By the end of the workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a doctor through the use of structured writing exercises; develop skills in using reflective writing as a way of personal debriefing about experiences at work; reignite previously lost passions for creativity; marvel at the brilliance of their colleagues; share some of their creative brilliance with colleagues, if they choose to; learn skills in the use of creativity in education; and experience being with colleagues in a way totally different from other education events. ACCREDITATION: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CREDIT: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

10 AM — 4 PM MERF 1139 This workshop is open to anyone	Poetry Workshop Margaret LeMay-Lewis Margaret LeMay-Lewis attended Barnard College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She served for eight years as founding director of the Writing Program at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Her poems have appeared in Another Chicago Magazine, Blast Furnace, Little Village, the White Whale Review, and elsewhere. Her work was shortlisted for the 2007 Four Way Books Levis Prize and the 2011 Discovery/the Boston Review Poetry Prize. She lives in Iowa City., MFA Participants will hone critical reading skills through in-depth discussion of the writing of their peers; strengthen their own work via feedback; develop skills and camaraderie via a generative writing exercise; and learn or review the foundations of form and other elements of poetic craft. This day-long workshop will consist of the following. A) We will spend the bulk of our time in detailed discussion of participants’ work in progress. Participants are required to bring 15 copies of three to five unpublished poems. These may regard any subject matter. Total length should not exceed five pages. To make the best use of your time in our workshop, please do select work that is in draft stage. B) All participants will engage in a generative writing exercise, and we will discuss each person’s new poem. C) We will discuss the basics of submitting your poetry for publication. Poets with all levels of experience are welcome.
10 AM — 4 PM MERF 1143 This workshop is open to anyone	Fiction Workshop Nate Brown Nate Brown is a graduate of Cornell University and the MFA program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received fellowships from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and the Vermont Studio Center, and a work-study scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. He is the publicity coordinator for the University of Iowa International Writing Program., MFAThe fiction workshop will focus both of elements of craft and on broader concerns related to the creation of fiction. Craft concerns include the nuts and bolts of characterization, creating realistic and engaging dialogue, the transition from narrative passage to scene, and the choice of perspective and tense that are critical to the writing of fiction. The broader concerns may include any fiction-related topic that the group is interested in, including discussions of how and when it's appropriate to use personal experience to inform fiction, where one might want to submit fiction for publication, and the nitty-gritty of finishing a project. Ultimately, the goal of the workshop is to allow participants to share work, to get valuable feedback from peers, to generate new ideas for future projects, and to appropriately set goals for future writing endeavors.
10 AM — 4 PM MERF 1155 This workshop is open to anyone	Non-Fiction Workshop Andre Perry Andre Perry is the executive director of The Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa. He is also the talent buyer for local music venue The Mill, and the founder and producer of the Mission Creek Festival. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program., MFA Participants will work to hone their writing in a standard workshop format to be determined by the workshop leader. Participants will be asked to submit work (approximately 1500 words; excerpts are fine) to the facilitator by Sunday, 4/14; more information will be provided after registration is complete.
10 AM — 4 PM MERF 1181 This workshop is open to anyone	Get In and Get Out: a short prose workshop Kelli Auerbach Kelli Auerbach's specialty is bridging medicine with creative writing and visual art. She holds a degree in Cultural Studies of Medicine from Brown University and an MFA in Fiction from Brown as well. Kelli has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, Brown, CalArts, University of Cape Town and USC Keck School of Medicine. She has presented papers and workshops at the symposium Make It Better: A Conversation on Art, Design, and the Future of Healthcare, the &Now Literary Festival, and the Innovations in Medical Education conference. Her article, “Beyond Comfort Zones: an experiment in medical and art education,” co-written with Dr. Jay Baruch, was recently published in Journal for Learning Through the Arts. Her short stories have appeared in 3rd Bed and Encyclopedia and she just completed The Owl House: a novel. Kelli has received numerous honors including a Fulbright to South Africa, fellowships from the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, and a grant from the Mutter Museum/College of Physicians Library to research her next novel., MFA How could you write a one-page novel? Or your life story in a paragraph? Or reduce a compelling clinical encounter to one shimmering sentence? This workshop will explore the rich world of short prose narratives, whether they take fictional or non-fictional forms. Short prose can be direct, spare and bare-boned. Or mysterious, effusive and lyrical. Regardless of style and content, short prose demands that we be economical with language, diligent with word choice, evocative with image, and clear with narrative shape and structure. After reading short prose by some of the masters of the form, we will continue to a series of writing exercises that will grapple with and illuminate the particular technical concerns related to short prose (detail, compressed character development, time, arc, etc), and help participants generate at least a dozen new short prose ideas. Participants will then spend time writing a short prose narrative, in-class, to be workshopped by the group – receiving feedback and critique in a supportive and encouraging environment. This workshop will be of particular interest to: busy medical professionals who want to write but have little time; those who are new to writing and may be daunted by the prospect of longer works; more experienced writers who want to fine-tune their craft.

Registration will be open until April 13, 2012.

Registrations canceled before April 6, 2012 will result in a refund minus a $10 handling fee. Registration cancellations made on or after April 6, 2012 will not be refunded. To cancel your registration, please call Dave Etler at 319.335.8058.
Registration services provided by Wufoo.com. Credit card processing by Authorize.net.

The Examined Life Journal: A literary journal of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

A print journal devoted to literary prose and poetry, it intends to deepen and complicate our understanding of healthcare and healing, illness, the human body, and the human condition. Learn more...

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