Physics and Poetry - an introduction by me (Ellen Mc) to an NPRcommentary

"Poems and poetry are, for me, a deep a form of knowing, just like science. Yes, obviously, they are different. But each, in its way, is a way to understand the world." -Adam Frank


I guess you would have to know that my mother loves words and quoted poetry daily when I was growing up. And, my father was an engineer.  He enjoyed a sense of wonder, unrivaled curiousity, often had a focused mission, and could pierce an issue with the most fundamental questions and insights.  I guess you would have to know that I studied Modern American Poetry in college, majored in Writing, and went on to study Physics as part of my Masters.  I am driven by facts and learning how pieces fit together to make the whole, so that when I create something or spearhead a new project, the emerging chaos has a solid foundation. Or, at least I can convince myself that I am not standing precipitously on thin ice or hanging, mid-air.  If you know all of those things then it's easy to understand why this article about poetry and science is so fundamental and wonderful to me.  The world is made of opposites, gray areas, and has as many perceptual differences as there are people. It is the connection between science and poetry, between ideas that force us to imagine possibilities, that makes the world so amazing to me.

I discovered these words from Monica Baldwin when I was 15, and often think that they framed my future: "I have always felt that the moment when first you wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the 24 hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that ... absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not one jot. The possibility is always there."  And that is why it would be good for you to know why science and poetry are related - so that you might fully contemplate the magic.  -Ellen McNair

Is learning to understand poetry the same as learning to understand Science?  Read this NPR commentary by Adam Frank: 

Physics And Poetry: Can You Handle The Truth? 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/07/09/200064088/physics-and-poetry-can-you-handle-the-truth?utm_source&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130709