Please See Me
Website
From the Editor
Please See Me, an online literary journal dedicated to highlighting creative writing and artistic expression through photography and digital media by patients, family members, caregivers, and providers alike was published for the first time by the Center for Healthcare Narratives with support from the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety on March 15th. The founding editor-in-chief of Please See Me, Tracy Granzyk, MS, MFA is a writer, filmmaker and healthcare content developer working to increase awareness around a culture of safety, health equity, and patient engagement through the creative arts.
Inspiration for the journal came from Please See Me, a short, award-winning film co-written and directed by Granzyk for MedStar Health, and that was used by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at their annual Quality Conference in 2016 as the keynote centerpiece to inspire conversations between patients and providers. “The main purpose in founding the literary journal was to create an open space for anyone who touches healthcare to explore their health-related stories and creative abilities without academic constraints,” said Granzyk. “I wanted to create a platform accessible to everyone; a place where patients, family members and providers alike feel welcome to tell their stories together, through poetry, essays, short stories, or visual arts. Please See Me is a place where all can reflect upon the health and healthcare experiences that are such a vital part of contemporary life.”
The journal will publish twice a year with each issue centered on a particular theme related to healthcare. The theme for the first issue is “conversation,” which yielded over 100 submissions. “For the first issue, we chose to focus on anything related to, or surrounding, a conversation between patients and providers, among family members, or even with one’s self,” said Granzyk, “The number of submissions we received confirms the need for this platform, and I was impressed by the high quality of creative content submitted in all genres.” One example is Cat Gwynn, a gifted photojournalist, mindfulness coach, and author whose book, 10-Mile Radius: ReframingLife on the Path Through Cancer, presents her way of coping with a Triple Negative breast cancer diagnosis through mindfulness and photography. Her interview in this issue demonstrates an artistic conversation with the self that inspired her healing. Cat is now 5 years cancer free, and teaches others how to remain in the moment through artistic expression, no matter the challenge – health related or otherwise.
Please See Me is a project supported by the Center for Healthcare Narratives at the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety. Our second issue will be published in September 2019, and we are taking submissions on the topic of “Pain.” Submissions for Please See Me can be made through the journal’s website via the Submittable platform. For those familiar with literary publications—online or print, think of Please See Me as a cross between the creative environment of Tin House and the healthcare-narrative focus of The Intima. We accept poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, short films, and digital media.
Submissions
Think of Please See Me as a cross between the creative vibe of Tin Houseand the healthcare-narrative focus of The Intima. Each issue seeks unpublished, creative, and high-quality work in the form of poetry, creative nonfiction/essays, fiction/short stories/flash fiction, and digital media (photography, drawings, podcasts, and short films). Patients, students, family members, caregivers, nurses, physicians, mental health providers, physical therapists, clergy–anyone who touches health or healthcare–are welcome to submit their work. We are especially looking for content that connects us, make us feel something, or helps us see illness, wellness, health, or the healthcare environment differently.
The theme for our September 2019 issue is “Pain.” Each theme is intentionally broad so that authors and artists can use it as a starting point. Whether it be physical or emotional, pain is part of the human experience and something everyone has felt at some point. Pain can be something we overcome setting the stage for stories of resilience. Pain can be something we observe in others. Pain can even be the joy of childbirth. Show or tell us about pain that matters to you. We guarantee it will matter to our readers.
Poetry:
Please submit a maximum of three poems at a time.
Fiction:
Please submit short stories up to 4,000 words in length. Flash fiction is welcome and encouraged.
We will look at excepts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting.
Creative Nonfiction:
Please submit nonfiction pieces up to 4,000 words in length.
We will look at excepts of longer works on a case-by-case basis; please query us with a description of your project before submitting.
Films:
Please submit links to your short films for review, and up to five minutes in length.
Other Media:
We welcome submissions of photography, podcasts, and other media. All digital media will should be hosted by the creator, and shared by a link. Photography and still images can be attached to submission.
For All Submissions:
Get creative! Anything that touches on our theme is be considered fair game. If you are not sure your work fits, please query us through Submittable.
Upcoming
Next submission deadline: June 30, 2019
Information
Editors Name Tracy Granzyk
Print publication? No
Circulation
Do you take online submissions? Yes
Submission Guidelines URL
Approx. Response Time?
How often do you publish? Twice a year
Year Founded? 2019
Do you pay?
Contact
Twitter
Mailing Address:
Email tgranz24[at]gmail.com