Support Last Writers

Last Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is an organization dedicated to immortalizing the beliefs, memories and stories of hospice patients through volunteer-written memoirs. Acting as a bridge between patients and students, Last Writers provides students a unique opportunity to develop a deep connection with a patient during the last few months of their life, learn about the end-of-life process and contribute to a work cherished by family and friends for generations to come.

Our organization is a semester-long project in which UTD students collaborate with patients from Three Oaks Hospice in Richardson, TX. Students spend a minimum of three hours per week interviewing their patient and working on writing their memoir under the guidance of a mentor. Throughout the semester, students attend hour-long weekly meetings where they listen to lectures given by our leadership team. Topics include the memoir-making process, end-of-life care and medical humanities. At the end of the semester, students submit their final memoirs to be peer reviewed, printed and mailed to students and patients free of charge.

The funds generated from this fundraiser will be used to cover the cost of publishing, designing, printing and shipping memoirs to student authors and their patients for the current spring 2025 cohort as well as future semesters. Printing and distributing each memoir from Barnes & Noble Press costs about $7-16 depending on length and graphic designer fees are around $20 per memoir.

From the patient’s perspective, the creation of their own memoir provides them with the opportunity to process their life and leave behind a physical document of a life well-lived and a token for loved ones to remember them by. From the student’s perspective, our program provides an invaluable experience where students utilize compassion, maturity and their educational expertise to work with the patients through this process.

Founded in August 2019 by alumnus Yilong Peng, Last Writers combines creative writing with palliative care by organizing a memoir-writing project. Last Writers developed into a community service initiative which has grown into a student-driven program educating students on narrative medicine and providing compassionate, personalized support to patients.

Every contribution makes a difference — thank you for your support! More information and updates can be found on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastwritersutd/