Don’t consider yourself a poetry person? You might be surprised! Comedy writer and poet Lyndsay Rush joins us to talk about her book “A BIT MUCH” and the power of poetry to think, process and heal. Dr. Shelley Noland, medical director for the Center for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic, helps us better understand how poetry and other art can improve our wellness. 

This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.

We talked with:

• Lyndsay Rush is a comedy writer, cofounder of the branding agency Obedient, and the poet behind the popular Instagram account @maryoliversdrunkcousin. Her debut book of poems, A BIT MUCH was an instant USA Today Bestseller and her writing has been featured in Reductress, McSweeney’s, New York magazine, and The New York Times. Lyndsay spent most of her adult life freezing in Chicago, but currently swelters in Nashville with her husband and young son.
• Shelley S. Noland, M.D., is a hand and peripheral nerve surgeontreating hand and wrist conditions, brachial plexus injury, peripheral nerve injuries, peripheral nerve tumors and Dupuytren’s disease. She has been in practice for more than 10 years and collaboratively studies new and innovative nerve repair methods. She also focuses on surgical ergonomics and surgical diversity. She is the medical director for the Center for Humanities in Medicine at Mayo Clinic.

Purchase “A Bit Much.”

• From Bookshop.org.
• From Amazon.
• From Barnes & Noble.

Got feedback?

If you've got ideas or book suggestions, email us at [email protected]. 

We invite you to complete the following survey as part of a research study at Mayo Clinic. Your responses are anonymous. Your participation in this survey as well as its completion are voluntary.

Connect with others talking about the podcast in the Read. Talk. Grow. group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Connect is free, trusted, moderated, welcoming, safe and easy-to-use.

The podcast is for informational purposes only and is not designed to replace the physician’s medical assessment and judgment. Information presented is not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional for medical assistance with specific questions pertaining to your own health if needed.