Literary magazine helps science students be creative

Science and art are two subjects typically kept on opposite sides of the scholarly spectrum.

A group of USC students, however, is interweaving the two with the literary magazine, The Healing Process. The publication “combines health and art” and defies the mutual exclusivity of the two areas of study, said Natasha Natarajan, a senior majoring in human biology and The Healing Process’s co-editor-in-chief.

“Science alone is very powerful and art alone is very powerful, but together they create this new meaning that most people do not explore in their lifetime,” Natarajan said. “You can understand a lot more about health when you see it from the new perspective of art.”

The magazine, established in January 2013, receives art and writing submissions online from students, professors and doctors alike, especially from the USC community.

“The magazine focuses on a holistic view of combining humanities and sciences,” said Kelsi Yu, the director of copy and acquisitions for The Healing Process. “With this, you can provide a thorough process of healing.”

Previously an annual magazine, Yu and the rest of the editors are working to make The Healing Process a biannual publication.

Natarajan said the magazine plans on releasing their fifth edition by the end of the fall semester.

With around 500 copies per edition, the publication staff places copies in different offices and locations on campus, including the Thematic Option office, the pre-med office and in front of Leavey Library. They also share the magazine with various professors at the University.

In addition to increasing campus readership, Director of Marketing Jessica Nathania said the magazine’s current focus is to expand to other colleges, including UCLA.

Nathania, who is also a member of the pre-dental honor society, is working on a project called “Spread the Smile” campaign. This campaign works with surrounding elementary schools by teaching them the basics of oral hygiene and nutritional counseling through images that are easy to understand.

Nathania plans to develop her work with the “Spread the Smile” campaign into a submission for The Healing Process’s next edition.

Though she said she is still brainstorming ideas, Nathania is thinking about photographing some students she works with and writing a piece about her work with them. Through this project, Nathania hopes to fulfill the publication’s mission of engaging pre-med students in deeper discussions about their chosen future profession.

“Our goal is to have students really think about how and why the activities that they do shape their desire to practice medicine, rather than just doing such activities to receive admission into medical school,” according to a statement on the organization’s website.

The Healing Process editors pride themselves on being the only magazine to combine health and humanities.

“Science is dense and hard to relate to, while art is a universal language,” Nathania said. “‘The Healing Process’ makes science more accessible [for everyone].”