25 years of creative writing on health, illness, and healing

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  • fiction
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  • poetry
  • The Facts

    The Facts

    Occasional lapses in taste or discretion within this narrative are entirely intentional. So, if it seems inappropriate to interrupt a tragic drowning with observations about the nesting habits of local birds, then consider this… // continue reading

  • String Theory

    String Theory

    Something happens to people that rescue other people, a covenant of sorts… The promise is the same: when I see you, I will keep you safe. I looked at Mariko, the quasar of freckles between her eyes, and that promise… // continue reading

  • In Praise of Silence

    In Praise of Silence

    Lillian tried to forget through silence, and though she could hide the facts from herself, she didn’t know how to keep the fears away. // continue reading

  • Mental Health Days

    Mental Health Days

    With practiced pain, I delivered an Oscar-worthy performance of smiles and congratulations, and then escaped to the bathroom and sobbed until my eyes were bloodshot. // continue reading

  • Double Exposure

    Double Exposure

    Our hospital in Jerusalem feels haunted. Not, as one might think, by the ghosts of former patients, but rather by the living… // continue reading

  • Motherhood Requiem

    Motherhood Requiem

    One afternoon, after my mother had fallen ill for the fourth or fifth time, I pulled out all my eyelashes, one by one. I was thirteen. She had gone to the hospital in the middle of the night with my… // continue reading

As featured on PBS News Hour’s CANVAS Series

Watch PBS News Hour’s Jeffrey Brown report on BLR’s 25th Anniversary, featuring BLR Editor Danielle Ofri and past BLR writers reflecting on why poetry, storytelling, and writing matter, especially in moments of illness.

Whiting Award Winner

BLR was awarded a Whiting Literary Magazine Prize for “excellence in publishing, advocacy for writers, and a unique contribution to the strength of the overall literary community.”

Praise & Recognition