Poetry Spheres,Flower Poems: A Dimensional Poetry Experience

Abstract

In a doctoral course on Narrative Inquiry, graduate students participated in an activity creating dimensional research poetry. The resulting poems, which were shaped like spheres or orbs and/or flowers, were made up of lines of narrative interview transcripts and researchers’ reflections, either computer printed or handwritten on strips of construction paper. In this article, a review of dimensional poetry, including concrete poetry and three-dimensional poetry, is provided. Examples of flowers in poetry from descriptive to symbolic of resistance against poverty, class, war, and race are presented throughout. The instructor and a student in the course who also served as the photographer reflect on the experience.