FAQs
Why is it called “The Lumen?”
The Lumen is the innermost part of something. From pathology to poetry, it signals different things to different people—but at its core, The Lumen offers us a central space: to come together, to share, to create. We hope The Lumen serves as a vessel to carry and illuminate the various experiences, perspectives, and creative expressions our community has to offer.
Who can submit to The Lumen? How and what can I submit?
The Lumen is an inclusive publication; we invite submissions from students and health professionals at any level of practice or training, from various specialties, disciplines, and backgrounds. We also invite submissions from UTMC community members, alumni, staff, and patients. We accept all forms of non-academic media, including essays, stories, poems, visual art, digital media (including music and audio), and more! To learn more about submissions, click here.
What’s the goal of The Lumen?
The goal of The Lumen is to echo the mission of its parent organization, the Medical Humanities Club of the University of Toledo College of Medicine, by offering the UTMC community an outlet for expression of their experiences in healthcare through multimedia, reaffirming the value of the arts and humanities in the field of medicine, and showcasing the talent and diverse interests within our own community.
How long does the process take from submission to publication?
As The Lumen is a yearly publication, after your piece is submitted and/or accepted, it may be some time before it’s represented in physical copies of our magazine. Exact dates vary based on editors’ schedules, but a rough timeline is as follows:
December—January: Calls for submission
Late January—Early February: Due date for submissions (see Submissions page for this year’s date)
February—March: Authors are contacted via email & pieces are accepted or rejected for publication
March—August: Editors work with authors via email to ready pieces for publication
August—October: New issue is published digitally
October—December: New issue is published physically
Post-Publication: Information regarding the reception for the new issue is communicated to all authors and UTCOMLS students & staff
How does the editing process work?
Any grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes will be corrected by our editors in accordance with the proper format. Should our editors recommend further changes to your piece, you will be assigned an editor who will work with you via email to discuss possible edits that we believe will make your piece even better come time for publishing. Aside from basic grammar, all changes to the piece will be made by the author, with our editors giving individualized feedback and recommendations. Absolutely no changes to the structure or content of any piece will be made without the author’s consent. If you do not hear from an editor in the above timeline following an acceptance, it means your piece requires no further changes and will be published “as is.”
Why was my piece rejected?
Each year, The Lumen receives dozens of submissions. As grateful as we are for each and every one, physical size limitations on the magazine mean that we’re unable to accept every piece and must undergo the difficult process of narrowing down the submissions pool. Our editors undergo a fair review process of each piece, free of personal identifiers, on various metrics of quality and creativity. If your piece is rejected, that doesn’t mean it may not be a good fit for a future issue, nor does it disqualify a resubmission for a future issue granted the piece has undergone meaningful edits and changes since its original submission. Upon request, our editors may provide individual comments and feedback following a rejection.
Does The Lumen allow AI?
The Lumen does not consider pieces, written or visual, entirely created with or using elements of generative AI, as we feel it undermines the uniquely human aspect which must be ever-present in both art and medicine. If your piece contains elements of generative AI and you’d like to know of its future eligibility for consideration, please feel free to reach out to us via email and our editors may provide individual recommendations and clarification.
Where can I get a physical copy of the magazine?
Currently, supply is limited to authors and attendees of events (such as The Lumen Reception hosted at the beginning of each year). If you are a student/faculty/alumni of UTCOMLS or happened to hear about our magazine and would like a copy, please contact us via email and we may be able to provide a copy if stock permits, though this we unfortunately can’t guarantee. Every issue from the very first to the most recent is always available digitally on our website. Created only a few short years ago in 2021, The Lumen continues to grow in size and scope with each passing year, and with your continued support, we hope to improve the magazine’s outreach and availability with each future issue.
How can I reach you or learn more?
Please feel free to reach out with questions, suggestions, or just to say hello! Our email is utcomls.lumen@gmail.com.