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

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— Everything BLR

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— Read interviews with BLR authors, editors, readers, and more —

— A new set of great reads with each click —

  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • poetry
  • The Room of Small Gods

    The Room of Small Gods

    by Paula V. Smith. “They have carried his bed downstairs to the study where he can see the garden as he dies, with you, his collection of small gods, around him.” // continue reading

  • Winston Speaks

    Winston Speaks

    by Jill Caputo. “Winston sold candy at the bus station on Wednesdays because that was the only day Georgia could give him a ride there. He kept the goods in the pack on the back of his chair: Snickers, Milky… // continue reading

  • We Are Only Human

    We Are Only Human

    by Mahak Jain. “My mother believed it was important for a child to witness healthy communication about difficult topics. My father allowed this as long as I remained quiet and didn’t interfere.” // continue reading

  • Hal-9000, Bach, and the Personal Physics of Going Deaf

    Hal-9000, Bach, and the Personal Physics of Going Deaf

    by Laura Hope-Gill. “There is no sound in space. Beyond our noisy atmosphere stretches an infinite quiet.” // continue reading

  • Dust, Light, Life

    Dust, Light, Life

    by Jacqueline Kolosov. “‘Why are there so many moths near the lamp, Mama?’ my five-year-old daughter Sophie asked, as we sat at our patio table a few weeks ago, the purple-rose of twilight of late April having by now given… // continue reading

  • Drawing Blood

    Drawing Blood

    by Laura Johnsrude. “I spent a lot of time thinking about blood during my training years—hoping I could get enough of it, wondering which vein would yield the best supply of it, wishing the patients had more of it, calling… // continue reading

  • Sonnet for Lidwina, Patron Saint of MS

    Sonnet for Lidwina, Patron Saint of MS

    by Alene Terzian-Zeitounian. “If I had a time machine, I would tell / you the suffering isn’t worth the fame” // continue reading

  • The Tender Roof

    The Tender Roof

    by Kent Leatham. “These things happen. There’s nothing / beautiful about it. She gave up her breasts / two years ago, but the cancer returned, pushing / through the sutures, the larval wasp consuming…” // continue reading

  • The Cradles of St. Kilda

    The Cradles of St. Kilda

    by Catharine Clark-Sayles. “From 1850 to 1890 forty-one of fifty-six infants born on St. Kilda in the Hebrides died of tetanus caused by the custom of anointing the umbilical stump with oil stored in the dried stomach of a goose.” // 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