ABOUT LAUREL

Laurel Braitman PhD is a bestselling writer and professor. She is the author of the memoir What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey through loss to love (Simon & Schuster 2023) and the NYT bestselling book Animal Madness: Inside Their Minds. She received her doctorate in History and Anthropology of Science from MIT and is the director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Medical Humanities and the Arts Program where she helps clinical students, staff and physicians communicate more clearly and vulnerably for their own benefit and that of their patients. Laurel is also the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020 she has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers share their personal stories. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, Wired, California Sunday, National Geographic, Radiolab, National Public Radio and many other places. She lives on the ranch where she grew up, in Southern California.

Praise for laurel

“An inspiring memoir...Her prose is shot through with rigor and intellectual curiosity, resulting in a candid study of one woman’s long path to emotional peace. This is perfect for anyone looking to heal a broken heart."

— Publisher’s Weekly
"I freaking love 'What looks Like Bravery'."

Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, The Silver Star, and Half Broke Horses
“Laurel is one of the most thoughtful, largehearted animals I know, a kind of young Oliver Sacks with two X chromosomes”

Maria Popova, founder of Brainpickings and the Marginalian
"Read this survivor tale. Braitman transforms a free-fall, into a soaring triumph. It’s a little slutty, a lot brilliant, and you may notice the falcon that was always there, waiting for you to look up."

Jillian Lauren, NYT Bestselling author of “Some Girls,” “Pretty,” “All You Ever Wanted” and more
"Embarrassing, especially the fake accents."

Laurel's nephew, Benny, Age 9
"'What Looks Like Bravery' is a gorgeous, tender and beautiful book. I'm in tears with the happy-sad truth and beauty of it. Laurel is a magnificent writer.”

Cheryl Strayed, New York Times bestselling author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things
"Like Hermione Granger, but ranchy."

Laurel's husband, Josh

Are you introducing Laurel on stage?

Laurel Braitman PhD is a New York Times bestselling author and the Director of Writing and Storytelling at the Medical Humanities and the Arts Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She holds a PhD in Science, Technology and Society from MIT, and is a Senior TED Fellow. She is author of What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey from loss to love (Simon & Schuster) and the NYT bestseller Animal Madness, translated into eight languages. She is the founder of the global community of writing healthcare professionals, Writing Medicine, now in it’s third year. Her work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Good Morning America and Al Jazeera. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, on Radiolab, in The Wall Street Journal, Wired, National Geographic and other publications.
Laurel lives on her family’s citrus and avocado ranch in Southern California.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Nope! Just kidding. Send an email to info@laurelbraitman.com and we’ll send you a list of resources.
Not really because Laurel doesn’t know how she managed to do that stuff herself (except the avocados, that was her parents’ thing first). But she does teach writing (look at the teaching page) and she is headed around the country to meet folks in person (look at events).
Okay, no one actually asks this question. Laurel just wishes they did. She does what she does because she thinks it’s pretty lonely to be a human being. And when we share our stories, and encourage other people to share them too, we all feel less alone. Cheesy maybe…but also true.