Capturing a Range of Voices: The Seven Deadly Sins
THE CHALLENGE: To offer readers fresh perspectives on medicine by capturing a range of voices
THE SOLUTION: For the magazine’s special reports, I tried to select topics that would allow Harvard doctors to explore the world of medicine in fresh ways. For the seven deadly sins issue, I asked seven alumni to choose one of the sins and to write an essay about its role in medicine. The topic inspired them, and they infused their essays with elements our readers seemed to enjoy the most: drama, poignancy, and wit. For the final page of the issue, I asked a half dozen other alumni to propose the eighth deadly sin in medicine, an assignment that led to brief yet insightful passages.
THE RESPONSE: The Council for Advancement and Support of Education awarded the issue a grand gold medal in the Periodical Special Issues category and a silver medal in the Special Interest Magazines category. “It wouldn’t have occurred to any of our panel that an issue about the seven deadly sins would naturally fit into a medical college’s alumni magazine,” one of the judges’ reports read. “That thought-driven surprise alone was enough to get our attention. But what made this issue a hands-down favorite was the experience of reading the fine prose of seven Harvard medical alumni, who each reflected, via a poignant and/or humorous essay, on one of the seven deadlies and how they play out in the world of medicine. As one judge stated, ‘Once you read one essay, you just had to read the rest.’ Add to the experience a brilliantly playful two-color design approach and we had our pick for the total package and a Grand Gold Medal.”
