The Poetry of Physics: From a Quark to a Quasar

by Sam Illingworth

Overview

The Poetry of Physics explores the intersection of science and art, blending the intricate beauty of physics with the evocative power of poetry. This unique work takes readers on a journey through the physical world, from the delicate patterns of living organisms to the vast reaches of the cosmos.

Structured in four sections – living physics, environmental physics, celestial physics, and a guide on writing your own poems – this book offers both scientific insights and poetic reflections, providing a richer understanding of both fields. The final section provides practical guidance on crafting your own physics-inspired poetry, encouraging active participation in this tradition of blending scientific and artistic inquiry.

Ideal for those who appreciate both science and the arts, whether they are physicists, aspiring poets, or curious minds seeking to explore the world and our place within it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032847313
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	03/18/2025
Pages:	104
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sam Illingworth is a Professor of Creative Pedagogies at Edinburgh Napier University, specialising in the intersection of science and the arts. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics, he is an award-winning science communicator and poet, and founder of Consilience, the world’s first peer-reviewed science poetry journal. Discover more about his work at www.samillingworth.com.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Living physics

3 Environmental physics

4 Celestial physics

5 Writing physics poems

Editorial Reviews

Science interleaved with poetry… a wonderful, rich, combination of a summary of the research into a topical issue, the scientific facts established and a poetic response to the issues raised! It’s great!

Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, University of Oxford, UK

“Sam Illingworth has fused the poet part of his nature with the physicist he studied to become and produced a novel formula for interpreting scientific research. The Poetry of Physics – part data, part emotional response, part vision in verse – is the happy outcome.”

Dava Sobel, poetry editor at Scientific American, author of Galileo's Daughter

“The Poetry of Physics opens a welcome, helpful door between two realms often considered utterly separate. Well-chosen science anecdotes become expressive poems that demonstrate how the often-alien language of scientific papers can be translated into very human contexts.”

Alice Major, poet, author of Welcome to the Anthropocene

From the Publisher