MENTORSHIP RECIPIENT

Mentor Commentary:
Katie Strine

Recipient Reflection: 
Hania Qutub

On the Revision Process for "The Diagnosis"

by Hania Qutub

The day I learned of my acceptance  for mentorship with Gordon Square Review, I felt joy, gratitude and anticipation. I began writing in my early fifties. Distressed by a world that watched the graphic extermination of a people in silence,  writing became a source of solace.  It was also a venture into a new realm with which I had no previous experience. 

As we began the mentorship process,  I found myself surprised at the magnitude of introspection generated by Katie’s thoughtful questions and comments about my work.  For my entire life I have been used to not telling my stories. I have lived holding the pain of my patients and my people within me.  Eliciting questions about what I have witnessed is not something I have ever experienced. And certainly being in a profession where empathy is at the forefront of our approach to patients, looking the other way when others are hurting is not possible. 

​Through the mentorship program I learned the value of the constructs of a writing piece, of the careful  use of dialogue and of the development of a strong ending. I appreciated the fundamental questions that challenged me to consider what my goals of writing were and how to achieve them. Katie’s comments brought to light reflections that were omnipresent in my mind and yet absent in my composition. Her insight into the art of writing has illuminated my ability to tell my story. 
​
It is with immense gratitude that I write these impressions on the mentorship process. As a lifetime student of medicine I have always valued what I can learn from others whether it is my mentors, my readers and most particularly, my patients. 

Hania Qutub

Hania Qutub is a Palestinian American poet and physician. She has worked in the United States and overseas with Syrian Refugees in Jordan. Her work includes publications in Mondoweiss, Poetry Festival, Rowayat, and is upcoming in Passager.