Q&A: How Amit Majmudar balances practicing radiology with being Ohio’s first poet laureate

On Dec. 17, Ohio Governor John R. Kasich announced that Amit Majmudar, MD, had been named the state’s first poet laureate. Majmudar writes fiction, poetry, and literary criticism. He is also a practicing radiologist, currently working for Radiology, Inc., in Columbus.

Majmudar’s latest book, Dothead, is available in March. More information on Dothead and the author’s other works can be found on his official website.

Majmudar spoke with RadiologyBusiness.com about time management, how radiology influences his writing, and more.  

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RadiologyBusiness.com: Can you discuss how you balance your work as a radiologist and your writing? How do you make time for both?

Amit Majmudar, MD: I have streamlined my life quite a bit. I don't watch television or sports, and I don't have any time-consuming other hobbies. If you cut out everything but family and work, there's time left over for literature. Not much, but enough.

RB: Do you have any advice for other radiologists who have an interest other than radiology, but struggle to find the time to enjoy it? Maybe it is writing, acting, playing a specific sport, or something else entirely.

AM: I guess it all comes down to time management, which in turn comes down to priorities. At least it does for me.

If you really love doing something, sacrifice doing something else.

RB: How does your work as a radiologist inform your writing? How does your writing inform your work as a radiologist?

AM: Being precise where precision is correct and being vague where vagueness is correct—these are two qualities of a good poem, and of a good radiology report.

RB: What is the role of a poet laureate? Do you feel any additional pressure being Ohio’s first official poet laureate?

AM: There really isn't much pressure, to be honest. Or at least I don't feel any. After spending the workday calling PE's and strokes, I think the laureateship falls below my threshold for stress, in an almost physiological sense. My adrenal glands refuse to waste any adrenaline on this.

RB: You’ve indicated that one of your goals as poet laureate is to engage high school students and encourage them to write. Can you touch on why it is important for young students to write?

AM: True, writing became a big part of my life, but I certainly don't recommend it for all and sundry. That would just end up drastically increasing the amount of bad writing out there. I do want to engage high school students, but only the talented ones. I understand that sounds elitist, but potential isn't distributed equally.

I don't think every high school student is cut out to be a writer just as I don't think every medical student is cut out to be a radiologist. I want to identify the ones with a future and guide them into that future.