Love everything about this post, Sarah. The interview is wonderful (now added to my TBR), and all of the linked essays touched me. Thank you for this special new year's gift.
On Christmas stories, another that I read on Substack, and that has stayed with me, is this: https://open.substack.com/pub/touchpointsawriterstruth/p/my-gift-to-you-dear-readers?r=2u2cxe&utm_medium=ios. (An account by a writer of one extraordinary Christmas lunch). I think of it as a bit of a companion piece to Rona Maynard's mother's extraordinary memoir chapter: it's very different, but also memoir, and also takes place in rural Canada, perhaps even at a similar time.
Happy new year, and all best wishes for the year ahead.
“In class, I do focus on craft and being a good reader, a good observer, but as a writing instructor, I am a softie. I try to give and spread love, and above all I just want them to show up! I can definitely see myself in new writers, not the confident ones, but the doubtful ones. I am still doubtful of the whole endeavor. You can’t think anything you write is too precious. When I teach science, I am totally different. I am harsher, more exacting, more demanding. This was how I learned science, and there are just certain things you need to know in STEM to be a doctor or to do basic science research. It’s nonnegotiable.”
Wonderful. This is a conversation I would love to have (in person, not on a page!), about intellectual rigor in fiction (or essays) vs academic work. I don't know where I come down, and so much appreciate this paragraph as the beginning of a discussion.
I’ve been thinking about this too, and I wonder if part of the divide has to do with the way science classes in college serve as much to weed out prospective doctors and scientists as they do to encourage possible future scientists. Our son is in a PhD program in molecular biology and yes, there are a lot of things you need to know beforehand, not to mention during!, but it’s been interesting to see how much overlap there is among the disciplines, among chemistry, biology, physics, etc. at that level. It makes me think that adding in some (seemingly unrelated) creative work for them might be helpful.
That's so interesting. There is a world now (don't know how well-established at this point) of teaching medical humanities to medical students, but what I've come across is more reading and discussion than writing, probably a bit more like a course in law and literature that I used to offer. So likely not creative in the sense that you mean, But the intellectual rigor part is essential to any discipline — non-negotiable, as Wieke Wang puts it so beautifully. Is it different for literary writing, or not? A wonderful conversation to have over coffee one day.
I think it’s pretty well established—there seems to be a lot of demand for medical humanities. My husband had such a class a million years ago (30 years ago) in med school at Columbia. It would be great if there were more room for that within the sciences.
And once again forgot to finish my comment! It is an interesting question re intellectual rigor and literary writing. Maybe there also needs to be a kind of emotional rigor or mysterious rigor too, to make a piece compelling?
Yes! That is, the emotional rigor — love that way of putting it — is essential. But is it just a different form of intellectual rigor, or is it something else.
No, truly?? The couple of people I've talked to in recent years (here — that might be the difference) seemed to think of medical humanities courses as sort of shaky, unproven ground that might not hold under them, so to speak. Did your husband read and discuss literature primarily? It's marvelous to hear that there is much demand. I truly think that reading and discussing literature, if it's done in the right way, is a benefit for every discipline there is.
I may be overstating demand, but I know there are at least a couple of master’s programs in medical humanities, one at Stanford. And to be honest, my husband didn’t like the humanities class in med school at all, but that’s probably because he didn’t like the instructor.
I read Rental House and then plowed through Chemistry and Joan is Okay the same week. So good!
I love her wry perspective and the way her characters encounter others (in-laws, coworkers, spouse…)
Thank you for the interview, Sarah and Weike! I must find and read all of these...
Thanks for reading, Amy! Happy New Year!
Thank you for introducing this new author to me!
Thanks for reading, Sharon! Happy New Year!
Love everything about this post, Sarah. The interview is wonderful (now added to my TBR), and all of the linked essays touched me. Thank you for this special new year's gift.
Thank you, Ann! That means a lot, coming from you!
On Christmas stories, another that I read on Substack, and that has stayed with me, is this: https://open.substack.com/pub/touchpointsawriterstruth/p/my-gift-to-you-dear-readers?r=2u2cxe&utm_medium=ios. (An account by a writer of one extraordinary Christmas lunch). I think of it as a bit of a companion piece to Rona Maynard's mother's extraordinary memoir chapter: it's very different, but also memoir, and also takes place in rural Canada, perhaps even at a similar time.
I can’t wait to read this one! Thank you for pointing it out! Love the idea of this being a kind of companion piece to Rona Maynard’s mother’s essay.
Happy new year, and all best wishes for the year ahead.
“In class, I do focus on craft and being a good reader, a good observer, but as a writing instructor, I am a softie. I try to give and spread love, and above all I just want them to show up! I can definitely see myself in new writers, not the confident ones, but the doubtful ones. I am still doubtful of the whole endeavor. You can’t think anything you write is too precious. When I teach science, I am totally different. I am harsher, more exacting, more demanding. This was how I learned science, and there are just certain things you need to know in STEM to be a doctor or to do basic science research. It’s nonnegotiable.”
Wonderful. This is a conversation I would love to have (in person, not on a page!), about intellectual rigor in fiction (or essays) vs academic work. I don't know where I come down, and so much appreciate this paragraph as the beginning of a discussion.
I’ve been thinking about this too, and I wonder if part of the divide has to do with the way science classes in college serve as much to weed out prospective doctors and scientists as they do to encourage possible future scientists. Our son is in a PhD program in molecular biology and yes, there are a lot of things you need to know beforehand, not to mention during!, but it’s been interesting to see how much overlap there is among the disciplines, among chemistry, biology, physics, etc. at that level. It makes me think that adding in some (seemingly unrelated) creative work for them might be helpful.
Forgot to say happy New Year! Sending good wishes for your writing and for a somewhat normal year!
The same 🌸🌼
That's so interesting. There is a world now (don't know how well-established at this point) of teaching medical humanities to medical students, but what I've come across is more reading and discussion than writing, probably a bit more like a course in law and literature that I used to offer. So likely not creative in the sense that you mean, But the intellectual rigor part is essential to any discipline — non-negotiable, as Wieke Wang puts it so beautifully. Is it different for literary writing, or not? A wonderful conversation to have over coffee one day.
I think it’s pretty well established—there seems to be a lot of demand for medical humanities. My husband had such a class a million years ago (30 years ago) in med school at Columbia. It would be great if there were more room for that within the sciences.
And once again forgot to finish my comment! It is an interesting question re intellectual rigor and literary writing. Maybe there also needs to be a kind of emotional rigor or mysterious rigor too, to make a piece compelling?
Yes! That is, the emotional rigor — love that way of putting it — is essential. But is it just a different form of intellectual rigor, or is it something else.
It's a good question! I imagine that different writers would have different answers, too.
No, truly?? The couple of people I've talked to in recent years (here — that might be the difference) seemed to think of medical humanities courses as sort of shaky, unproven ground that might not hold under them, so to speak. Did your husband read and discuss literature primarily? It's marvelous to hear that there is much demand. I truly think that reading and discussing literature, if it's done in the right way, is a benefit for every discipline there is.
I may be overstating demand, but I know there are at least a couple of master’s programs in medical humanities, one at Stanford. And to be honest, my husband didn’t like the humanities class in med school at all, but that’s probably because he didn’t like the instructor.