| Science poetry or scientific poetry is a | | | | relationship between poetry and science than |
| specialized poetic genre that makes use of | | | | either poets and/or scientists admit. |
| science as its subject. Written by | | | | Creativity and romance can be in both, as can |
| scientists and nonscientists, science poets | | | | the intellectual and the mathematical. Both |
| are generally avid readers and appreciators | | | | can be aesthetic and logical. Or both can be |
| of science and "science matters." Science | | | | nonaesthetic and nonlogical, depending on the |
| poetry may be found in anthologies, in | | | | type of science and the type of |
| collections, in science fiction magazines | | | | poetry.Science poetry takes it subject from |
| that sometimes include poetry, in other | | | | scientific measurements to scientific symbols |
| magazines and journals. Many science fiction | | | | to time & space to biology to chemistry to |
| magazines, including online magazines, such | | | | physics to astronomy to earth science/geology |
| as Strange Horizons, often publish science | | | | to meteorology to environmental science to |
| fiction poetry, another form of science | | | | computer science to engineering/technical |
| poetry. Of course science fiction poetry is | | | | science. It may also take its subject from |
| a somewhat different genre. Online there is | | | | scientists themselves, from Brahmagypta to |
| the Science Poetry Center for those | | | | Einstein, from Galileo to Annie Cannon. It |
| interested in science poetry, and for those | | | | may speak to specific types of scientists in |
| interested in science fiction poetry The | | | | general as Goethe "True Enough: To the |
| Science Fiction Poetry Association. In | | | | Physicist" in the Ferris anthology. |
| addition, there's Science Fiction Poetry | | | | (Subsequent poets mentioned are also from |
| Handbook and Ultimate Science Fiction Poetry | | | | this anthology.)Science poetry may make use |
| Guide, all found online. Strange Horizons | | | | of many forms or any form from lyrical to |
| has published the science fiction poetry of | | | | narrative to sonnet to dramatic monologue to |
| Joanne Merriam, Gary Lehmann and Mike | | | | free verse to light verse to haiku to |
| Allen.As for science poetry, science or | | | | villanelle, from poetry for children or |
| scientific poets like science fiction poets | | | | adults or both, for the scientist for the |
| may also publish collections of poetry in | | | | nonscientist or both. John Frederick Nims |
| almost any stylistic format. Science or | | | | has written for example, "The Observatory |
| scientific poets, like other poets, must know | | | | Ode." ("The Universe: We'd like to |
| the "art and craft" of poetry, and science or | | | | understand.") There are poems that rhyme, |
| scientific poetry appears in all the poetic | | | | poems that don't rhythme. There's "concrete |
| forms: free verse, blank verse, metrical, | | | | poetry" such as Annie Dillard's "The Windy |
| rhymed, unrhymed, abstract and concrete, | | | | Planet" in which the poem in in the shape of |
| ballad, dramatic monologue, narrative, | | | | a planet, from "pole" to "pole," an inventive |
| lyrical, etc. All the poetic devices are in | | | | poem. "Chaos Theory" even becomes the |
| use also, from alliteration to apostrophe to | | | | subject of poetry as in Wallace Stevens' "The |
| pun to irony and understatement, to every | | | | Connoisseur of Chaos."And what of your |
| poetic diction, figures of speech and rhythm, | | | | science and/or scientific poem? Think of all |
| etc. Even metaphysical scientific poetry is | | | | the techniques of poetry and all the |
| possible. In his anthology, The World | | | | techniques of science. What point of view |
| Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and | | | | should you use? Third person? First person, |
| Mathematics, editor Timothy Ferris aptly | | | | a dramatic monologue? Does a star speak? Or |
| includes a section entitled "The Poetry of | | | | the universe itself? Does a sound wave |
| Science." Says Ferris in the introduction to | | | | speak? Or a micrometer? Can you personify |
| this section, "Science (or the 'natural | | | | radio astronomy?What are the main themes, the |
| philosophy' from which science evolved) has | | | | rhythms? What figures of speech, metaphors, |
| long provided poets with raw material, | | | | similes, metaphor, can be derived from |
| inspiring some to praise scientific ideas and | | | | science. What is your attitude toward |
| others to react against them."Such greats as | | | | science and these scientific matters?Read. |
| Milton, Blake, Wordsworth, Goethe either | | | | Revise. Think. Proofread. Revise again. |
| praised or "excoriated" science and/or a | | | | Shall you write of evolution, of the atom, of |
| combination of both. This continued into the | | | | magnetism? Of quanta, of the galaxies, of |
| twentieth century with such poets as Marianne | | | | the speed of sound, of the speed of light? |
| Moore, T. S. Eliot, Robinson Jeffers, Robert | | | | Of Kepler's laws? Shall you write of the |
| Frost and Robert Hayden (e.g. "Full | | | | history of science? Of scientific news?Read |
| Moon"--"the brilliant challenger of rocket | | | | all the science you can. |
| experts") not to mention many of the lesser | | | | |
| known poets, who nevertheless maintain a | | | | Read all the poetry you can.You are a poet. |
| poetic response to scientific matters. Says | | | | |
| Ferris, "This is not to say that scientists | | | | You are a scientist. |
| should try to emulate poets, or that poets | | | | |
| should turn proselytes for science....But | | | | What have you to say of the astronomer, the |
| they need each other, and the world needs | | | | comet, of arcturus, of star-sirls, of |
| both." Included in his anthology along with | | | | galaxies, of molecular evolution, of atomic |
| the best scientific prose/essays are the | | | | architecture, of "planck time" to allude to |
| poets Walt Whitman ("When I Heard the Learn'd | | | | other poetic titles.What does poetry say to |
| Astronomer"), Gerard Manley Hopkins "("I am | | | | science? |
| Like a Slip of Comet..."), Emily Dickinson | | | | |
| ("Arcturus"), Robinson Jeffers | | | | What does science say to poetry?Susan Shaw |
| ("Star-Swirls"), Richard Ryan ("Galaxy"), | | | | is a freelance writer and web content writer. |
| James Clerk Maxwell ("Molecular Evolution"), | | | | Her articles and web content appear online. |
| John Updike ("Cosmic Gall"), Diane Ackerman | | | | |
| ("Space Shuttle") and others.Certainly those | | | | Susan Shaw is an affiliate of The Book Store |
| writing scientific poetry like those writing | | | | The Science Library, (For The Science |
| science fiction need not praise all of | | | | Library, put "Science" in their search |
| science, but science nevertheless the subject | | | | engine. |
| matter, and there is often a greater | | | | |