New Publication: "Solar Damage," in the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine

Just about a year ago, I alluded to a challenging experience I was dealing with. A single comment from one medical professional whom I met through that experience sparked a new poem. (You all know how that works.)

I am proud to say that that poem has just been published by the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine (YJHM). The poem’s title, drawn from the comment in question, is “Solar Damage.”

(By the way, for those of who may recall and/or share my dilemma over how to determine whether a given piece should be written as prose or as poetry, you may find this comment from the YJHM poetry editor interesting [he’s referring to both poems I submitted, although he accepted only one]: “Your poetry has a strong flavor of prose and I considered whether these poems should actually be prose poems. However, I don’t think so. The enjambment and slant rhymes make them work as verse.”)

I invite you to read my poem and, more important, to get to know the broader offerings of the YJHM.

9 thoughts on “New Publication: "Solar Damage," in the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine

  1. Anonymous says:

    Congratulations, Erika. And thanks for posting your poem. It's good to know it will reach readers with both literary and medical interests.

    I always love a story — no matter the form — and I was completely caught up in the account of the assault and the recovery (so concise– understated, even) as well as the earlier memories of solar exposure.

    Best, Meredith Holmes

  2. Lisa Romeo says:

    Congratulations, Erika.

    It's lovely, and seems to me featured in just the right venue.

    I know I'm in the hands of a skilled writer when I feel empathy rather than sympathy and kinship instead of pity. Well done.

  3. the communicatrix says:

    How wonderfully inspiring!

    Thanks for all of your good work, and for sharing of yourself so personally, as well.

    A corking way to launch 2010!

  4. Erika D. says:

    Thank you all for the very generous comments.

  5. jublke says:

    Lisa's comment describes my thoughts well, although I must admit my feelings of horror over the attack. I'm glad that you are recovered and feel strong enough to triumph over adversity through your writing.

  6. Natalie Wexler says:

    Lovely poem, Erika. And I thought it was interesting the way the attack — which could have been the focus of the whole poem — faded into the background, replaced by those much softer and more lyrical memories. It seemed to me that that aspect of the poem was perhaps itself a metaphor for not succumbing to bitterness, however justifiable bitterness might be.

  7. Erika D. says:

    Thank you, Natalie and jublke.

  8. Midge says:

    Congratulations, Erika — I loved reading your poem (beautiful) and exploring YJHM as well.
    Happy new year!

  9. Erika D. says:

    Thank you, Midge.

Comments are closed.