The Human Condition

An Exploration of Art & Literature

The Human Condition, the annual art and literary magazine of the UC San Diego School of Medicine was borne of the imaginative stories written by medical students in the elective "The Good Doctor: The Works of Anton Checkhov." It is a forum for the creative work of medical students, residents, and faculty of the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Medicine teaches us much about biological life and how to prolong it — however, we must not forget in the midst of the curriculum why one should live or what it means to live well. As a reminder of these central ideas and the art that resides in the medicine, we are proud to present The Human Condition.

Call for Submissions

The Human Condition is an annual literary arts magazine dedicated to showcasing creative endeavors of the UC San Diego community and promoting artistic and humanistic ventures.

We encourage submissions from all members of the UC San Diego SOM community.

For Photography & Art Piece Submissions

Your entries can be from anywhere and any time. Send in your colorful pictures, paintings, and drawings!

For Prose & Poetry Piece Submissions

Your entry can be anything — a short story, a journal entry, an experience in the wards/clinics, etc. Submissions do not have to be medical or clinical. We want to showcase your creativity! Submissions also do not need to be final drafts, as we will work with you to refine your entries.

For Audio Submissions

We plan to incorporate audio submissions in this year's magazine using QR codes linked to Spotify! If you would like to submit an original song, a cover, spoken word poetry, etc., upload your submission to Spotify and generate a QR Code by following instructions for Spotify codes. You can then submit the QR code through our usual Google form (below). If you are having technical difficulties with this process, submit the audio file directly. If you wish to submit other media such as a video, you can similarly generate a QR code to the video link, or reach out to us via email for assistance.

Upload Your Submissions

For all submissions:

• Upload your submission(s) using this Google form: Upload Your Submission
• Make sure your submission file is titled “Lastname_Firstname_MS#_Title of Piece” with title capitalization and spaces exactly how you would like them to appear in the magazine!

Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2024