David Hassler, the Bob and Walt Wick Executive Director of Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center, has co-authored an article in Science with Phillip Levin from the University of Washington that aims to illustrate the symbiotic relationship between science and poetry.
The piece, titled “The Microscope and the Metaphor,” was posted Oct. 22 on Science.org and previews the type of dialogue expected at the inaugural Poets for Science Gathering taking place at Kent State in November. In the article, the authors argue that while science shows what must be done to protect the planet, poetry helps people understand why it matters, and that conservation needs both.
Levin is a professor at the University of Washington, where he directs United by Nature and serves as interim executive director of the University of Washington’s EarthLab. He and Hassler previously worked together on “The Nature of Our Times,” a poetry anthology that accompanies the first national assessment of nature and its benefits in the United States.
The Science article comes as Kent State prepares to host the first Poets for Science Gathering, Nov. 12-14 at the Kent Student Center. The three-day event marks the 10th anniversary of Poets for Science, an initiative launched in 2017 by poet Jane Hirshfield and the Wick Poetry Center. The gathering is expected to draw up to 800 participants from around the world for readings, panels, workshops and a book fair. Featured presenters include U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, Camille T. Dungy, Diane Ackerman, Maria Popova and Jane Lubchenco, along with Levin.
Read “The Microscope and the Metaphor” on Science.org.
Listen to Hassler and Levin discuss Poets for Science on the Science podcast.
Information and registration details for the Poets for Science Gathering.
