writing
Crafting a Story of Illness
BLR Editor Danielle Ofri hosts Sandeep Jauhar, Rana Awdish and Theresa Brown for a fascinating conversation about getting illness onto the page. More
Danielle Ofri interviews author Anne Fadiman
Danielle Ofri interviews author Anne Fadiman. They discuss her award-winning book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, and how the culture of medicine struggles to communicate with other cultures. They also delve into Ex Libris, Fadiman’s brilliant collection of essays about the trials of being a book lover and the tribulations of growing up in a “grammar cartel.” More
Why Do Doctors Write?
The first patient I ever wrote about wasn’t actually my patient; as a first-year medical student, that possessive grammatical construct—“my patient”—hadn’t yet entered my consciousness, much less my lexicon. In any case, by the time I met him, he was already dead. More
Winning Words 2025
A celebration of BLR’s 48th issue and the winners of the 2025 BLR literary prizes. Hosted by Danielle Ofri More
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life
Danielle Ofri hosts a conversation with editor Kate Edgar and writer Bill Hayes about the documentary of Oliver Sacks’s remarkable life More
Danielle Ofri interview playwright Sarah Ruhl
Danielle Ofri interviews Sarah Ruhl — acclaimed playwright, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, MacArthur “genius”— a fascinating conversation about Sarah’s life, her career, and her extraordinary journey to reclaim her own face. Her book, “Smile,” was a New York Times best-seller.
The Healing Power of Art
BLR Editors Danielle Ofri and Abba Belgrave, along with BLR writers Sharon Pretti and Samuel Autman, explore the power of art to help both the ill and their health providers grapple with the medical and psychological challenges of illness. More
Covid and the Creative Process
Covid has generated unusual creative pressures: Must writers write about the pandemic? Does bearing witness to inequities impact creative output? How do we make art in a time of suffering? BLR editors Danielle Ofri and Doris W. Cheng are joined in conversation by poet Phillip B. Williams and novelist Weike Wang. With special guests: playwright Sarah Ruhl and scientist/writer Joseph Osmundson. More
Covid: Primary Sources
The Covid Pandemic at Two Years: A conversation about creativity in the face of a global pandemic, from both artists and healthcare workers who experienced it firsthand. More
Covid Writing Goes Viral
Covid Writing Goes Viral: How Literary & Social Media Writing Became a Lifeline during the Pandemic. Danielle Ofri hosts Abraham Verghese and Eric Topol about the role of writing during the Covid pandemic. More
In Search of a Beloved Teacher
“Written and Illustrated by.” These words were written on a blackboard in September, 1971, in crisp, authoritative chalk. This was practical magic, unfolding on our laminate pressboard desks every single day. Ms. Zive handed us power, and it was exhilarating. More
Rx: Writing
Writing has always been a prominent part of medicine. Doctors write “histories†of their patients all the time. Increasingly there has been interest in writing by patients. More
