Using Science in Poetry with Bryan Roessel

Consider incorporating scientific ideas and images into your writing! Science can produce feelings of wonder or transcendence by emphasizing the vast scale of the natural world, or our deep connections to it -- for example, the idea that the atoms in our bodies were forged in stars that exploded before our planet formed. A scientific model can provide metaphors for our own personal life experiences -- for example, the collision of continents can become a way of thinking about falling in love. We will talk about where the matches and mismatches are, and how both can be useful in a poem. Choosing from a list of scientific models and surprising or striking scientific ideas, we will do a little research and then incorporate scientific imagery or use scientific models as framing devices or extended metaphor.

Bryan Roessel, science teacher and performance poet, is a founder of Rockland Poets. He has appeared in many places, including the Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack NY, 2026; the Family Meal Open Mic, Yonkers NY, 2024; and the White Plains Public Library Slam, White Plains NY, 2016; and has organized countless community poetry events.