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

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  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • poetry
  • Sloth, That Wicked Siren

    Sloth, That Wicked Siren

    by Christopher Notarnicola. “Why he stopped showering, no one could say for sure, though everyone had their guesses.” // continue reading

  • The Hand You’re Dealt

    The Hand You’re Dealt

    by Jerry M. Burger. “I say I’ll keep taking the lithium, but the doubt I see on Dr. Pederson’s face as he hands me the pills tells me I probably won’t. And then it’s time to go. Only the real… // continue reading

  • In This Skin

    In This Skin

    by Emma Pattee. “’The difference between a good butthole and a bad butthole is the wink.’  This is the best man talking.”  // continue reading

  • A Doctor in the Court of the King of Nepal

    A Doctor in the Court of the King of Nepal

    by Itzhak Kronzon. “I labored to decipher the pidgin English until I at last understood that the King of Nepal wanted me, Dr. Itzhak Kronzon of the Bronx Municipal Hospital, to come to his royal court.” // continue reading

  • Anticipatory Grief

    Anticipatory Grief

    by Misty Kiwak Jacobs. “After Father Marcel died, he came to me in a dream and said, “I liked you very much.” Not the Great Commandment that he kept, his job description. Gloriously less…Those words his imprimatur on my grief.” // continue reading

  • Breathing

    Breathing

    by Shanda McManus. “My office is quiet except for the noise I make: the click of the light switch, the hum of the computer, the crinkle of my paper gown as I unwrap it. I pull on my PPE—gown, gloves,… // 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