About This Journal
Akesis was created in 2015 by six University of New England Osteopathic Medicine students. Inspired by a week-long summer workshop at Columbia University, their goal was to create and spread an awareness of narrative medicine by promoting an artistic, literary, and creative outlet for the UNE community. In ancient Greek, ἄκεσις ("akesis") meant healing, or cure. Akesis was chosen as the title of this creative workspace to represent the purpose of the narrative pieces created and to emphasize the therapeutic nature of narrative medicine.
Mission And Vision
To promote awareness of narrative medicine in a shared space with the overarching goal of developing better communication skills, self-care and expression, reflection, and mindfulness among the UNE community of health professionals.
A narrative is a fundamental cognitive structuring process for the human mind to make meaning and relate with the world. It becomes a story or account of events, sequenced over time and space. Narrative medicine is the art of gathering, creating, and sharing stories of illness and healing; it is both a clinical and scholarly movement honoring the role of stories in healthcare. The practice of narrative medicine allows health care providers to better care for their patients, their colleagues, and themselves.
Scope And Submission Parameters
See the Submission Guidelines page for a full description of works accepted for consideration.
Akesis publishes original literary and artistic work from members of the UNE community and other practitioners of narrative medicine that relates to the practice of narrative medicine in healthcare. It is published three times per year, with Winter, Summer, and Fall editions*. Each issue has a specific prompt to which its published works relate.
The editors of Akesis appreciate receiving original works in the form of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, art (paintings, drawings, photography, etc.) and audio/visual media. Literary works should not exceed 3 pages or 1,500 words. Submission is limited to one work per person per issue. All submissions must relate to the chosen prompt for the issue unless otherwise indicated. Editors retain the right to limit the number of published submissions.
Important Note about Patient Privacy: Please review and abide by HIPPA guidelines when submitting your work. Patient confidentiality is extremely important; therefore, please ask permission, if possible, from patients before submitting their stories and please change identifiable information so as to maintain patient privacy.
Important Dates
Note: Deadline and publication dates may vary; please check the Submission Guidelines page for current deadlines and publication dates.
Submission Deadlines
- Winter Issue: April 10th
- Summer Issue: August 10th
- Fall Issue: December 10th
Publication Dates*
- Winter Issue (January, February, March, April): Published April 15th
- Summer Issue (May, June, July, August): Published August 15th
- Fall Issue (September, October, November, December): Published December 15th
To submit a work to Akesis, please use the Submit Work page. Please contact the editors of Akesis with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
*Initial publication included four issues per year: Spring, Winter, Summer, and Fall; 2019 marked the official switch to three issues per year. The first and third volumes of Akesis consist of three issues, with no Summer issue published.