Jeanne-Marie Jackson (JHU, English), Talia Schaffer (CUNY, English), and Abraham Verghese (Stanford, Medicine) discuss the role of medical writings in literary innovation and the formation of objectivity in early twentieth century West Africa, collective practices of authorship in Victorian fiction, and novelistic representations of medical treatment. They offer a panorama of care in literary studies, creative writing, and medicine and jointly ask: what kind of relationships does care require, and how does caregiving coexist with a discourse of professional authority? Further, by considering the endeavors of doctors and authors, our speakers explore cases in which care offers a creative alternative to usual ways of understanding success.