By Jamie Stuart | Published 02/23/15 1:57am

In the middle of a place known for science and routine, one student publication is encouraging surprising artistic creativity.

IRIS, the UNC School of Medicines art and literary journal, provides an artistic release for many medical students, faculty and staff.

The magazine will be accepting submissions for its annual issue until March 2.

The online magazine showcases both visual works photography, drawings and paintings as well as pieces of poetry and prose. IRIS was originally a hard copy magazine published in the 1990s, but publication stopped in the 2000s.

Lee Hong, a medical and Ph.D. student in her fourth year, realized the need for an artistic release in the campus medical community in 2012.

I really wanted some kind of creative arts presence on campus, Hong said. I decided to create something that would basically be a forum for people to submit their work and have it shared with other people.

Hong sought out creative people who would be dedicated to bringing the magazine back and recruited medical students Jenny Shen and Jason Fishel, as well as a few first-year medical students, to help restart the magazine and ensure its continuation.

I kind of underestimated how rewarding it is in a lot of ways, Hong said. There are a lot of people who empathize with all the things youre dealing with, not just with medical school but with going through life.

Although many stories focus on patients or moving medical experiences, many submissions are about everyday life.

Original post:

Medical schools literary magazine accepting pieces