Friends,
In this week’s episode of Uncertainty in Medicine, we step into one of the most tender and complicated territories in healthcare: the uncertainty of dying.
Through a haunting parable by Ursula K. Le Guin and personal stories from clinicians and families, we explore what happens when people try to prepare for death, or resist it. A daughter grapples with her mother’s calm plan for assisted dying. A physician struggles to interpret a patient’s ambiguous advance directive. A neurointensivist faces the limits of medical knowledge while holding space for hope.
These stories illuminate the emotional, ethical, and spiritual weight of caring for others when there are no clear answers, and no easy endings. They ask us to consider not only what it means to die well, but what it means to live in the shadow of death.
We hope this episode invites reflection, connection, and a little softness around the hardest questions.
We’re over halfway through our Uncertainty in Medicine series, and these stories have already catalyzed so many conversations—for us, and we hope for you too.
As we keep moving through the season, we’d love to hear what’s been resonating so far. Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all of them, your feedback helps us understand what’s landing, what’s surprising, and what you’d like to hear more of.
If you have a few minutes, we’d be so grateful if you shared your thoughts here:
Warmly,
Emily and The Nocturnists Team
Call for Poems: for publication in the Journal of Medical Humanities
The Journal of Medical Humanities is seeking original, unpublished poems on the theme of uncertainty. Poets are welcome to interpret the theme broadly, but are encouraged to explore connections to health or healing. You may submit up to three poems, each as a separate Word document.
Email submission to sarahcross@alum.swarthmore.edu with the subject line “poetry submission JMH uncertainty.” The deadline is September 15, 2025. Selected poems will be published alongside short commentaries by the poets.
We’re Hiring!
The Nocturnists is looking for a talented audio producer & editor to help shape our Conversations series. If you’ve got sharp narrative instincts, an ear for pacing, and the chops to take raw interviews and make them into great podcast episodes, we’d love to hear from you. Accepting applications through June 16, 11:59pm PT.
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