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A Lens on Human Experience

Cultivating empathy & critical thinking in health, culture & the arts

A Lens on Human Experience ➔

Cultivating empathy & critical thinking in health, culture & the arts

Art Review

Interior by Edgar Dégas

Felice Aull10.09.2535

Dégas’ brilliant rendering of perspective pulls the viewer into the mystery of what has taken place in what appears to be a woman’s bedroom. At the…

Art Review

A Tired Woman with Two Children by Jean-Baptiste Greuze

Felice Aull10.07.2555

Two paintings by Jean-Baptiste Greuze capture weary domesticity and maternal intimacy.

Reflection

Imagining Phantom Limb Pain

Russell Teagarden09.20.25130

The “fragmentary novel” Flights, offers literary descriptions of phantom limb pain by imagining what a known amputee from the past may have gone through.

Book Review

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason

Steven Field09.18.25241

A lyrical World War I tale blending medicine, love, and ethics, The Winter Soldier immerses readers in history and humanity.

In Focus: Mental Health ➔

October marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and we spotlight moving narratives that explore struggles, resilience, and healing in illness.

Book Review Focus

Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya

Guy Glass09.30.2581

Blending memoir and criticism, Sarah Chihaya’s Bibliophobia explores depression, identity, and the perilous yet healing power of books.

Book Review Focus

How To Be Depressed by George Scialabba

Guy Glass09.15.25169

A candid, unconventional book blending psychiatric records, personal struggle, and practical tips, offering rare insight into living with depression.

Book Review Focus

The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang

Guy Glass09.15.25181

This essay collection explores living with severe mental illness, blending memoir, cultural critique, and reflections on resilience, treatment, and identity.

Book Review Focus

One Friday in April by Donald Antrim

Guy Glass09.15.25196

Donald Antrim’s memoir confronts suicide, psychosis, and survival with unflinching honesty, blending personal crisis, hospitalization, and hard-earned hope.

Podcasts ➔

Inside The Pitt: Medicine Meets Drama

Dave Hsu09.03.25166

A deep-dive podcast exploring The Pitt, a gripping medical drama, its realism, emotional impact, and lessons for medicine and humanity.

Inside The Pitt: Medicine Meets Drama

Dave Hsu09.03.25166

A deep-dive podcast exploring The Pitt, a gripping medical drama, its realism, emotional impact, and lessons for medicine and humanity.

Reader Insights ➔

David Hsu on From Tigers to Otaku
Hi Amy, thanks for reading. I’m happy to hear that you connected with the story. Someday, I hope to write…
Amy M on From Tigers to Otaku
As an Asian who grew up here with immigrant parents, I really connected with this story. The long list of…

Reviews ➔

Every Last Breath by Joanne Jacobson

Carol Schilling09.16.2556

The book’s profound and startling reflections on mortality are lyrical, fierce, and deeply felt.

Fourteen Stories: Doctors, Patients, and Other Strangers by Jay Baruch

Martin Kohn09.15.2567

Jay Baruch’s Fourteen Stories vividly portrays caregivers’ struggles, ethical dilemmas, and resilience.

American Sirens By Kevin Hazzard

Carol Schilling09.03.25189

Kevin Hazzard’s American Sirens illuminates Freedom House paramedics’ pivotal role in medical history, racial justice, and emergency care innovation.

Musee des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden

Felice Aull08.26.25351

This poem reveals how human suffering unfolds quietly, unnoticed, while ordinary life continues its daily rhythms, indifferent to personal catastrophe.

Interviews ➔

Interview with Andre Mangham

Sebastian Galbo06.02.25376

Andrew Mangham explores how Victorian literature, medicine, and political economy intersected to shape powerful narratives about hunger and poverty.

Julie Ridge : Bipolar & The English Channel

Guy Glass03.05.251109

Julie Ridge’s one-woman show Bipolar & The English Channel explores her journey as a record-breaking swimmer and living with bipolar disorder.

Interview with  Darrel Manitowabi

Jacalyn Duffin02.03.25783

Canadian anthropologist Darrel Manitowabi, PhD, explores Indigenous healing traditions through “Indigenous Medicine Stories,” blending academic and community perspectives at NOSM University.

Interview with Alan Blum

Jack Coulehan10.24.241230

The battle against smoking evolved from awareness campaigns to challenging a profit-driven industry, using humor, irony, and persistent activism to drive cultural change.