Paintings by Joseph Dwaihy (MED’06) and Sara Dykstra

Lifelines is accepting submissions of short fiction, poetry, essays, and artwork related to the experience of illness or practice of medicine. We look for pieces that represent or address the medical experience in some way from any perspective. The journal is open to submissions from all, regardless of background or institutional affiliation.

The selection committee is comprised of students, medical school faculty, doctors, writers, and artists. The committee reviews and selects works based on craftsmanship, originality, and content. Submissions are de-identified prior to review for selection. Submissions may be returned to the author with editorial suggestions prior to final acceptance. Please note that all rights revert back to the author after first publication.

Our theme for our 14th issue is Transformations, Life Transitions, and Code Switching.  Feel free to interpret this theme in a way that speaks to you most.
Click here to submit a work of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or art.


Submission Guidelines

You may submit up to three pieces of work in the areas listed below. Please use a separate submission form for each work.

All work must be original and unpublished.

Written Work

We ask that you include a title with all written work, or specify that the work is untitled. Upon submission, you will specify a genre for your piece (i.e. poetry, short story, essay).

Please limit any text-based work to under 3,500 words. We will consider submissions from larger works if a reasonable excerpt can be adapted for the journal. Please contact us if you have a piece over 3,500 words that you would like to be considered.

Submissions should be in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. If you are submitting a work (such as poetry) that contains a specific visual structure, please submit it as a PDF to ensure no formatting is lost.

Visual Art

Any visual art submissions must include:

  • Title (or specify that the work is untitled)
  • Short text description of your work
  • Media
  • Size (if non-digital)
  • .pdf, .psd, .tiff, or .jpeg format

Please try to upload your work in the highest resolution possible. Note that if any of these components are not included, your work will be disqualified. If you seek advice on documenting your piece, please contact us.

If your work is selected for inclusion, we will ask you to provide a short biography or artist statement.

Submissions will close on February 1st, 2024.