BLR Membership

For 25 years, BLR has created space for writing and conversation about health, illness, and healing. It has grown from a journal into a living, evolving community of readers, writers, clinicians, patients, and thinkers who believe that literature and creativity humanize healthcare and the experience of illness. Together, we explore what it means to live, to heal, and to witness one another’s stories—even the ones that are hardest to tell.

 

As we mark our 25th anniversary, we are moving from a subscription model to a membership model to reflect the community that BLR has become. We are not simply sending you stories and poems to read; we are inviting you into the life of a literary arts organization. Membership sustains the journal while drawing you more fully into the conversations, the creative exchange, and the shared commitment to thoughtful, courageous writing. Membership is a way of standing with these beliefs—and with one another—as we shape the next chapter together.

Becoming a Member

If you are a subscriber, we invite you to transition your subscription to a membership. You’ll still receive the BLR journal as you always have, now with an expanded array of benefits. The most important benefit, of course, is being part of a community and playing a vital role in sustaining it.

 

If you are not yet a subscriber—but you read the newsletter, have attended an event, or have ordered individual issues—we invite you to join a thriving and welcoming community. You’ll receive every issue of BLR as it is published, along with opportunities to engage more deeply: to participate in members-only workshops and conversations, to submit work with greater access, and to help ensure that this vital literary space continues to grow.

Membership Tiers

BLR MEMBER

BLR Member — Special Anniversary Rate: $25  (auto-renews at $50/year)

Stay Close: For readers, writers, and BLR friends who want to stay connected to the pages and to the community that gathers around them.

  • Two issues of BLR— print copies plus complimentary digital  access
  • Access to members-only events, such as our new narrative medicine workshop
  • Submit your writing to BLR for free, year-round
    • Waived submission fees for up to 2 general submissions per year (does not apply to BLR Literary Prizes)
    • You can submit manuscripts even when general submissions are closed
  • Special member giveaways (first up–a signed copy of The Covenant of Water by BLR author, Abraham Verghese.)

 

Become a BLR Member
SUSTAINING MEMBER

Sustaining Member — Special Anniversary Rate: $50  (auto-renews at $100/year)

Step Inside: For readers, writers, and enthusiasts who want to step deeper inside the creative conversation.

Includes all BLR Member benefits, plus:

  • Early access to tickets for BLR events that routinely sell out
    • BLR Writing Workshops
    • BLR Book Salons
    • Live storytelling events
  • Invitation to Editor Salon
    • Ask an editor anything
    • Query the creative process
    • Join an intimate literary conversation
  • A special BLR gift upon joining

 

 

Become a Sustaining Member
PATRON MEMBER

Patron Member — Special Anniversary Rate: $100  (auto-renews at $200/year)

Carry It Forward: For readers, writers, and supporters who not only want to be in the BLR community, but also to stand behind it. Help steward BLR into its next chapter.

Includes all BLR Member and Sustaining Member benefits, plus:

  • Advance digital preview of each issue before public release
  • An annual “Behind the Issue” conversation with BLR editors and Board Members
  • Opportunity to share ideas for BLR’s future
  • Recognition on our website as a Patron Member

 

 

Become a Patron Member