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