 Columbia University 

a literary journal dedicated to promoting the theory and practice of narrative medicine, an interdisciplinary field that enhances healthcare through the effective communication, empathy and understanding between clinicians, caregivers and patients

Our name Intima has a specific resonance in the field: For us, narrative involves the intimate interface between people, who yield and gain from the experience of stories involving the clinical encounter.

The word itself has an anatomical reality: intima is  the thin layer lining a blood vessel, speeding blood to the heart and brain, an apt analogy for the kind of narratives we publish that speak to the emotions and the intellect, the feelings and facts that engage the senses in stories with meaning and impact..

Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine

Intima features audio or visual recordings that explore themes  in Narrative Medicine. Please use the submissions form to upload audio  recordings as MP3 files. For video submissions, use the MP4 file format.  Please contact theintima@gmail.com with questions. 

Multimedia

Intima welcomes poetry that deals with any aspect along the  illness/healing/caregiving continuum. Poems should preferably be no  longer than one page in length. Please submit each poem individually--do not submit poems together in one submission or we will decline them immediately. You can submit up to three (3) poems per submission period, but we must repeat again, each poem must be submitted separately via Submittable. 

Poetry

Non-Fiction submissions should demonstrate clinical resonance from a  personal, familial, or professional perspective and be written in a  strong literary voice. While non-fiction pieces may likely contain a  personal opinion or anecdote, or be written as an essay, they should  highlight a particular event, time period or sequence of events  experienced with a clear narrative arc.  Submissions may be excerpts of a  longer work, and should be no more than 2,500 words. 

Non-Fiction

We seek captivating fictional stories with unique literary voices that  incorporate themes related to health, illness, medicine and  patient-provider experiences. Submissions may be excerpts of a longer  work and should be no more than 2,500 words.  

Fiction

Field Notes      Field Notes will include descriptive and  narrative essays that highlight first person accounts  from clinicians,  patients, healthcare professionals and caregivers.  These works should  be of an anecdotal nature, which describes self-reflection and  experiential knowledge or changed perspective acquired through the  practice of narrative medicine and/or participation in narrative  medicine based workshops.  Submissions should be no more than 1,500 words. 

Field Notes

 Academic Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine is an open-access medical humanities journal with various submission categories for publication.  The academic section publishes a variety of scholarly studies from different  fields (e.g.,  narrative medicine, the medical and health humanities, and graphic medicine), using different methodologies from the humanities and the social sciences.  Submissions from social sciences, humanities, and the arts are welcomed as they adhere to rigorous academic and ethical standards for research and stand up to the peer-reviewed process. Submission types include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

State of the Art Literature Reviews
Empirical Studies in the Social Sciences and Medicine
Cultural, Historical, Literary, and Media Analyses
Autoethnographies and Ethnographies
Submissions should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words including tables, figures, and references set in plain font, sized 12, with 1-inch margins.  The formatting of the manuscript follows MLA 9th edition throughout the entire manuscript, not only in the formatting of the bibliography.  As a guidance for authors, academic manuscripts, especially in the social sciences, are recommended to include the following components: a) title,   b) list of key words (maximum 6),  c) abstract,  d) introduction, e)  literature review,  f)  data and methods of data collection, g) analysis,  h) findings and discussion, i) conclusions, and j)  bibliography. Note that although these components may not exactly fit into the template of manuscripts within the humanities, they are expected to provide guidance about basic academic expectations.  Then, they can be  used creatively. 

Academic

Intima welcomes painting,  photography or other visual representations of narratives as  opportunities to explore boundaries of health, wellness, and the power  of telling. Please send images in .jpg, .gif, or .png format only, as.pdf, .psd, .tff, and .doc files aren't web-compatible. File name: Only use letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens  in file names. Other characters (like question marks, percent signs,  and ampersands) may upload incorrectly or cause unexpected behavior in  galleries. File size: When it comes to image size, bigger isn't always better. There is a 20 MB limit on all images, but we recommend you use image files of less than 500 KB for best results. 

We allow submissions of more than one image if you are submitting a series of images that belong together under a single title, in a series or connected by a theme. Otherwise: Please do not submit separate works together. No. of images: For a narrative series, we will accept up to 6 images. Color mode: Save images in RGB color mode. Print mode (CMYK) won't render in most browsers. Color profile: Save images in the sRGB color profile. Image width: We recommend uploading images at a width of 1500 pixels

We do not welcome simultaneous submissions, previously published work or work published on a personal blog or website, Instagram or other social media platform. REMINDER: We do not welcome simultaneous submissions and ask that you do not submit your submission simultaneously to other journals before October 1, 2025.

NOTE: DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME ON THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT or ARTWORK. Remove all identifying signatures from the body of the document/art as well as in the file name. YOUR SUBMISSION WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF YOUR NAME IS ON THE DOCUMENT/ARTWORK or NAME OF THE FILE. However, please feel free to use your name and affiliations in the short biography on the Submittable form.

General call

Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine accepts submissions of book reviews for fiction, non-fiction, academic and poetry books that fall under the umbrella of narratives about illness, health and caregiving. We have seen an uptick in these kinds of books that illuminate the intimate interface between clinicians, caregivers and patients during the clinical encounter. While we are primarily interested in newly published books, we welcome reviews of classic or recent books as well. Book review submissions should demonstrate a familiarity with those already posted on the Intima website in style and tone, and should be no shorter than 500 words but not exceed 1500 words. Our book reviews serve to endorse worthwhile books for the Intima readership to enjoy. We are not looking for critical pans, but welcome critical thinking about books that fall into our narrative focus. The submission process filters through Submittable, an online publishing review service we use. Please include a short biography that describes your qualifications.
Prior to submitting, click on and read Intima’s “Elements of a Book Review."
After our editors have reviewed the submission, you will be contacted about whether and when it will be published on the site. We do not pay for book reviews and reserve the right to edit the piece for clarity. Before it is published, a copy will be sent to you to ensure changes are reviewed. Email us if you have questions or would like to pitch a new book. We will be happy to contact the publisher to send you a review copy before publication. theintima@gmail.com

Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine

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