Creating Successful Science Poems: Craft Elements of Poems With Clear Science Content

Abstract

For centuries, poetry was the primary form of science communication. Poets practiced the literary craft of creating impactful and memorable poetry that also communicated scientific knowledge. While contemporary poets incorporate scientific information into their work, there exists scant scholarship on the poetics and craft elements of science poems. The poet must enact a balance between disparate syntax, diction, ideas, and form. Through poetic examples, I demonstrate how a science poem can contain clear scientific information and still function as art.