“A doctor, like a writer, must have a voice of his own, something that conveys the timbre, the rhythm, the diction, and the music of his humanity, that compensates us for all the speechless machines.” — Anatole Broyard, Intoxicated by My Illness

Copyright: oberart / 123RF Stock Photo

In A Few Words is a recurring feature in AJKD that was introduced by Dr Dena E. Rifkin in 2009 and currently led by Dr Devika Nair. Through this feature, we hope to give voice to the diverse experiences and stories that define kidney disease.

For this feature, we welcome nonfiction, narrative submissions focusing on the personal, ethical, or policy implications of any aspect of kidney disease in adults and children (acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, transplantation, ethics, health policy, genetics, etc). Submissions from physicians, allied health professionals, patients, or family members are encouraged.

Guidelines for this feature are fairly simple: we will consider essays of up to 1,000 words; short poems; or original visual art accompanied by 1-2 paragraphs of text. Footnotes or references are discouraged. In submissions that refer to real patients, the patients must either be unidentifiable or approved by the patient(s) described.

If accepted, the submission will be made freely available in an online collection at AJKD.org.

Items for consideration should be submitted through our online submission portal, Editorial Manager. Please contact the Editorial Office at ajkd@pennmedicine.upenn.edu with any questions or requests for assistance.

We hope to see your submission soon!