Mehta Awards 2023

Introduction

In this issue of Medicine and Meaning we feature the winning selections from the Mehta Creative Writing Contest. This award was created in 2020 and honors the best writing in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. This year (2022-2023), we received more than 50 submissions, each of which was reviewed by a committee of literary and medical specialists. The panel then selected the ones they considered the best in terms of theme, message, and beauty. They then awarded first place for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction respectively. This issue includes the selections which won first place or honorable mention. Authors of these selections read all or part of their work at the award ceremony and Shot of a sign that reads Drs. Paulette and Jay Mehta Creative Writing Award. The sign is the focus of the shot. Audience members in the foreground are out of focus. reception in person at UAMS on April 13, 2023.

Also included in this issue are the keynote speeches from that award ceremony and reception. These speeches were by Dr. Micah Hester about the humanities in medical training and the impact of this award, Dr. Stephanie Gardner on the value of reading in the practice of medicine, and Dr. Paulette Mehta on why doctors and others write.

First place for poetry was awarded to Haylee Shull for a story-poem about an orchard which holds the history of the family and community including the grandfather’s ashes and all the cycles of life since and before his passing. In prize-winning short story, “Hardly Working (Remotely)”, Reade Zodrow wrote about a new way of working (remotely) with its concomitant anxieties and challenges, as well as other aspects of modern digitalized life. Finally, in nonfiction, first prize was given to Brook Scalzo for her portrayal of her newborn baby’s surgery and how quickly she learned to see the beauty and uniqueness of her baby’s scar as the baby began to heal.

Group of faculty posing with the Mehta Award winners

(left to right) Dr. Stephanie Gardner, Dr. Paulette Mehta, Reade Zodrow, Haylee Shull, Brook Scalzo, Dr. Micah Hester, and Dr. Jay Mehta

The panel also awarded honorable mentions to authors of two poems, two stories, and two essays. The first honorable mention poem portrays a community pediatrician reflecting on his patients. The second honorable mention poem is on the passing of seasons using rhyming couplets and ending with the beautiful lines “All but some reach Winter’s untimely end./It is up to you to begin again.” One of the fiction pieces relates to fitting in as an immigrant in the United States. Another honorable mention fiction story is “Affidavid,” in which a young woman grieves the death of her boyfriend David but finds another David to replace the one she lost. This story examines the varied manifestations and impact of grief. We hope to publish it in a future issue.

Then there are two nonfiction pieces, one recounting a day in the life of a medical student at the Harmony Clinic and the other a short essay by Laura Rohm on why, as she writes, “There is no place better than a place with peanuts, brisk February air, and an old paw paw.”

We are fortunate at UAMS to have such talented students, faculty, and staff who wrote such beautiful poetry and prose, and I hope you enjoy them. I also hope you will submit your poems and stories for the fourth annual Mehta Creative Writing Awards to be announced later this year. As always, we also welcome your submissions for regular issues of Medicine and Meaning.

In the meantime, keep reading, keep writing, and stay safe.

Paulette Mehta, M.D., MPH

Plenary Speeches

Remarks from Dr. Hester

The importance of creativity, critical thinking, crafting narratives, and artful approaches to health care should not be undervalued. Science makes no difference to the human race if it pays no attention to the human condition, and the humanities and arts are the disciplines in our academic and personal lives that provide the perspectives necessary to connect individuals with one another.

Why Doctors and Other Healthcare Professionals Write

You, the winners of the award and others healthcare workers who write, follow a long and honorable tradition. In fact, some of the most famous writers of all time have been doctors perhaps because they (we) are present at the most intimate moments of life, from the moment of birth to the moment of death and everything in between.

Why Incorporating the Arts in Health Professions Education is More Important Than Ever

These awards speak to a belief we share: that creativity and the arts do not only nourish our spirit and entertain us. The arts also cultivate lifelong learning; and they can guide us to becoming better health care providers, teachers and scientists.

Cleft

The ultrasound technician said, “It’s going to be okay,” but I didn’t hear her. I could only hear the crinkling of the paper beneath me.

The Orchard

We spread my grandfather’s ashes
at my family’s peach orchard—
the same plot of land
where Carlee and Derek got married
the summer before, the peaches
plump and weighing down branches

Hardly Working (Remotely)

Paul Miller was laying on the couch in his robe as his roommate was heading out the door for work.

“It’s weird seeing you up this early,” his roommate said.

The Passing of Seasons

An emerald plume in a desolate vale
Alone and young, cold and frail.

The House of Hidden Suffering

My feet found the steps and I opened the door to Harmony Health Clinic. Immediately I’m flanked on each side by a food pantry and personal care items that patients can take with them as they enter or leave the clinic. A few smiling faces looked up from desks, computer monitors, and folders as I walked through the entryway. These faces either gave up a weekday evening of meeting with friends or a tempting morning of extra sleep on Saturday to be here to work.