A poem by Certified Listener Poet Cohort 9 Alum, Dr. Julia McDonald, is now part of the educational offerings available through The Blood Project (TBP). The mission of TBP is to cultivate a deeper understanding of blood disorders for clinicians through modules, tutorials, and the humanities.
That synergy of blending the clinical with patient and clinician experiences harmonizes well with McDonald’s lifework. As a physician, writer, and worldwide advocate for sexual and reproductive rights, McDonald has devoted their clinical and artistic skills to supporting and witnessing the lived experiences of those who have a uterus.
McDonald’s poetry and coursework as a member of CLP Cohort 9, inspired their recently published anthology titled Hysteriography: Poems about Uteruses, Menstruation, Pregnancy, Abortion, Loss, and Childbirth. In awe, McDonald shares in the introduction that “Uteruses are astonishing muscular organs about the size of a fist that can grow to fill an entire human abdomen, push a living creature out through a tiny passage, then shrink back to its original size…” Nearly two dozen poems in the collection speak to the enormity and power of this organ.
For McDonald, creating the anthology provided a platform to recognize and uplift those who have uteruses and those who support them: “Listening to people’s stories, writing poems for them and bringing this volume to life has brought me joy during these challenging times,” she writes.
On its website, TBP has showcased “Teenager Again,” which describes the ”scarlet tsunami” that greeted a medical resident after she decided to have her IUD removed:
More information on Hysteriography can be found here: