The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (Katz) recently welcomed Justin Torres, bestselling author of We The Animals and The Blackouts as part of the Narrative Medicine program’s Life in Medicine Speaker Series. Torres was joined in conversation with Liz Moore, bestselling author of Long Bright River and God of the Woods and Director of Temple’s Masters of Fine Arts program in creative writing.

Speaking to an audience of Katz and masters of fine arts students, faculty, and guests, Torres shared insights into his writing process, the themes and topics he is drawn to as a means of expression, and his observations of and experiences with the healthcare system. 

“We live in a fast world,” he said when discussing the time it took from conception to completion of his first novel We the Animals. “If you go slow, it’s because you care quite a lot. It shouldn’t be a highway with all green lights.” 

“The nice thing about taking your time,” he added, “is that it can change your mind.” 

When asked his advice for medical students preparing for their practice, Torres offered that centering the patients’ experience and frame of reference, albeit certainly difficult at times, is game-changing. “No one goes into this difficult work to make lives miserable. I didn’t know that when I was young,” he shared. “Someone saying ‘Look kid, I’m here because I want to make life better’ – shifting that focus for me – would have made a difference.”   

Recognized for writing about deeply complex and intersectional themes, Torres shared that writing complexity, while more difficult, is also more valuable. “That’s what we do as writers,” he said. “If we aren’t making the world more complicated, what’s the point?”