Body & Soul

'Body & Soul comes from a brilliant collective of health professionals and patients whose insights are intellectual, humane and literary. I have watched the editors work their magic for years and there is no more sensitive and stimulating group I know now working in Canadian literature.' -- Antanas Selekas, Director of Humber School for Writers, and author of Underground 'Body & Soul tosses a rescue rope across the growing chasm between science and humanism. These poignant and powerful pieces speak volumes about the healing properties of narrative medicine from the perspective of health care professions and patients as well as their families. This is medical humanities at its finest.' -- Barbara Sibbald, Humanities Editor, Canadian Medical Association Journal, and author of The Book of Love: Guidance in Affairs of the Heart 'Body & Soul makes the distinct contribution of offering multiple perspectives on illness and care. In these pages, we hear the voices of patients, their families and friends, and those who offer professional care. This collection will be of particular value to teachers of healing arts and reflective practice. No other volume I know covers such a broad spectrum of experiences, each richly articulated.' -- Arthur W. Frank, author of At the Will of the Body, The Wandering Storyteller, The Renewal of Generosity, and Letting Stories Breathe

Body & Soul features inspiring and award-winning fiction, essays, memoirs, poetry, photography, and visual art on the universal themes of wellness, treatment, and healing.

Illness affects us all; we are called on to support and care for loved ones who face health challenges, and in turn, we encounter our own physical and emotional frailties when our health declines. Body & Soul features inspiring and award-winning fiction, essays, memoirs, poetry, photography, and visual art on the universal themes of wellness, treatment, and healing.

Told from the points of view of patients, practitioners, caregivers, families, and friends, Body & Soul provides a powerful literary perspective on how we are challenged, bewildered, changed, and uplifted by our encounters with change, illness, and disease. Readers will appreciate the richness, depth, and diversity of these healing stories and will become motivated to generate and share their own transformative narratives.

Together with the online discussion guide (providing questions relating to selected pieces in the anthology), Body & Soul is an ideal text for courses and support groups as well as individual reflection. Students and practitioners from all clinical disciplines and scholars in the humanities and social sciences will find this text invaluable.