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Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Tell a Science Story Two Ways: Prose and Verse


By Susannah Buhrman-Deever

The work of a scientist involves both logic and intuition. Logic helps us understand and analyze data. Intuition gives us leaps of insight, those “Ah-ha!” moments. Both types of thinking are needed to make discoveries.

As nonfiction writers, our goal is to help our readers understand a subject. And we can tap into our readers’ intuitive and logical brains by using both poetry and prose in our work. Poetic language and rhythm help readers feel their way to an understanding of a subject. Complementary prose supports that understanding by guiding readers through the facts.

Poetry Collections
Many science and nature-themed poetry collections with prose sidebars or back matter have been published in recent years. Two examples are Joyce Sidman’s exploration of life in winter, Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold (illus. by Rick Allen, HMH 2014),  and Allan Wolf’s celebration of outer space, The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again (illus. by Anna Raff, Candlewick, 2019). In each collection, the white space, language, and imagery in the poetry gives the ideas room to breathe, providing mental space for the readers to make connections. The sidebars and back matter expand the reader’s understanding with additional details.

The forms of the poetry in these collections can also help reinforce subtle themes. Joyce Sidman’s poetry collection Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow (illus. by Beth Krommes, HMH 2006) celebrates life in a meadow through riddle poems with prose “reveals.” By writing each poem as a riddle, Sidman gently reinforces the importance of closely observing the world around you. 

In my book Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse (illus. by Bert Kitchen, Candlewick, 2019), I explored different ways predators and prey use communication in their battle for survival. I chose persona, or mask, poetry where the poem is written from the point of view of its subject so that predator and prey could talk to each other directly as they do in life. By having predator and prey face off in persona poem battles, I also hoped to reinforce the idea that each animal has its own motivations and strategies that shape its behavior when interacting with others.

Two-Layer Texts and Book-Length Poems
The combination of poetry and prose is not limited to poetry collections. It can also guide readers through a complicated subject via a two-layer text. Rhythm, rhyme, and refrain can help break down facts into easy-to-remember chunks, while re-stating and re-imagining complementary prose. Older than the Stars by Karen C. Fox (illus. by Nancy Davis, Charlesbridge, 2010) uses a “This is the House that Jack Built” nursery rhyme structure to tell the story of the Big Bang, which could at first glance seem far too complicated to tackle in a book for youngsters. It works because the nursery rhyme provides memorable “headlines” that reinforce the denser prose sections on each page.

Combining poetry and prose can also help pull together separate facts into a satisfying whole. Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward (illus. by Steve Jenkins, Beach Lane, 2014) is a good example of this. A book about the myriad ways birds build nests could feel like a list of facts. By using a poem with a consistent meter as the main text throughout the book, Ward creates a feeling of cohesiveness. This concept can be carried out equally well with free verse, as seen in Dianna Hutts Aston’s An Egg Is Quiet and related titles.

As a Writing Tool
And finally, writing in poetry and prose can help us find our story. When I’m working on a prose piece, I often reach a point where I’ve collected notebooks full of facts, but I’m unsure of how to gather it all together. At these times, I’ll write a poem about my subject. This poem may never see the light of day, so I don’t worry about it being terrible. (Terrible writing is all part of the process.)

This practice wakes up my intuitive brain, helping me discover the heart of my story. Writing a poem reminds me of that gut-feeling of why I was inspired by my subject in the first place, cutting through my fact-clutter, and paring everything down to the essentials.

It also helps me discover my voice. Voice can seem ineffable, but, to paraphrase Newbery Award winner Linda Sue Park, voice boils down to a matter of word choice and punctuation (or rhythm). For me, writing a poem is a low-stress way to play around with different vocabulary and rhythms, and I’ll often uncover nuggets that guide my voice for the final prose.

Scientists rely on logic and intuition to make breakthroughs. As writers, we can play with prose and poetry to access our logical and intuitive brains and create a story that sings. Try telling your science story in both poetry and prose and see what you can discover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former biologist, Susannah Buhrman-Deever now writes about the natural world for young and curious readers. Her debut book, Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse (illus. by Bert Kitchen, Candlewick Studio), was named a 2019 Best Book for Children by the New York Public Library. She lives with her husband and sons outside of Rochester, NY.


ABOUT THE PRIZE

Susannah Buhrman-Deever will be awarding a signed copy of Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse.

Leave one comment below about what struck you in the post.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered NF Fest participant and you have contributed one comment below.
 

146 comments:

  1. Susannah, I’m going to try writing a poem about my subject today:) Thank you for this inspiration — and the mentor book suggestions.

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  2. Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse sounds like a fabulous debut, Susannah! Ty for these NF poetry examples and give us ideas of how to use these techniques in our own writing. I have just added to my TBR pile.

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  3. Thanks for the great tidbits. I recently wrote a poem for a project I was working on which led me to start researching more about the subject. I just put Predator and Prey on my library's hold list.

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  4. Thank you for your post! I will try to write some poems today to tackle some difficult topics. I can't wait to read your book!

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  5. Thank you for sharing. Poetry is helpful in so many ways. It's something I've been thinking about lately--and something I probably could focus on as a way of strengthening my writing.

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  6. Susannah, I'm a former biologist turned writer too, and I can't wait to read your book. It sounds amazing! Congratulations! I'm deeply drawn to poetic science books and you've helped me understand why – they are engaging the same ways of thinking that I used in the lab, logic and intuition. It's important for children and adults to know that intuition and luck play a big role in scientific discoveries. Thank you for all the great examples. I'm eager to read the ones I've missed.

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  7. Writing a poem about my subject to wake up my brain and intuition is such a fabulous idea! And yes, I've seen many PB's with a poetry/prose combination, but hadn't really considered trying that myself. This has inspired me to give it a go!

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  8. I love poetry! For some reason, I seem to default to poetry when writing nonfiction. After all, the rhythms of nature seem to fit so well with poetry. My writing doesn't always stay in poem form, but I love beginning there. It helps me focus on the essence and poetic flow of the story.

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  9. Thanks for the inspiring, eye-opening look at how prose and poetry work can work together to create a richer experience for the reader!

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  10. Thank you for sharing your process of writing your story in both poetry and prose. Great combination to get at the truth and heart of what you want to say. I'm going to try writing terrible poetry.

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  11. I love the idea of writing a (terrible) poem to gather your thoughts and try something new. -Sara Ackerman

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  12. I love the poetry-NF combination, and I enjoyed your book, Susannah. I'll have to check it out again! And the mentor texts you provided. Thank you for sharing your process for how writing comes together for you as an author and scientist.

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  13. Thanks for sharing some mentor texts to look for in our libraries!

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  14. What a wonderful post! I love this idea of combining poetry and prose, either as a writing tool or in the finished manuscript. Feel like running out right now to write poems about some of my topics where I had a hard time zeroing in on the heart of what I wanted to say. Unfortunately, I'm at work -- but later I will! This is exciting.

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  15. Wonderful to hear a fellow poet talk about using poetry in NF, and giving tips for layering! Thank you!

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  16. 'Rhythm, rhyme, and refrain can help break down facts into easy-to-remember chunks ...'

    I find that this is what I do in my own writing. Good to know I'm doing something right. :)

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  17. Love the idea that poetry wakes up the intuitive brain to help discover the heart of the story. Maybe I need to write more poor poetry!

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  18. I'm working on a series of rhyming animal poems with prose sidebars, so this definitely reinforces my desire to forge ahead with that project. I'm relatively new to rhyme and meter, but I'm enjoying the challenge of fitting together factual information and lyrical language in the right syllable patterns.

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  19. I'm going to give a poem a try with my WIP. Terrible writing is underway;) Thank you Susannah! Be Inspired, Nicki Jacobsmeyer

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  20. Thanks for the great post Susannah! I love your approach and specifically how exploring poetry and prose can help find our story.

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  21. I can't wait to check out all the books you mention in your post!

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  22. Thank you for your post, Susannah! The idea of using poetry to uncover the right voice for the facts is so interesting. I will definitely give it a try.

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  23. Susannah, your book, Predator and Prey, is so beautiful. And thank you for the wonderful idea of writing a poem to find the heart of your prose book! I am leery of my poetry-writing ability, but I will definitely try this since the poem never has to see the light of day!

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  24. Thanks for a great post. I loved: "As writers, we can play with prose and poetry to access our logical and intuitive brains and create a story that sings."

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  25. Thanks for the great suggestion to use poetry as a starting point. While I will likely never consider myself a poet, I CAN write terrible poetry. I hadn't thought of using this as a base.

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  26. I love poetry in PBs and especially in NF; I think it's kinda unexpected. I mean, verse for predator and prey conversing? I love that.

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  27. I love the idea of creating a poem from a collection of facts, to help find the heart of the story. Thanks for a whole new way to look at writing!

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  28. I love the process of examining vocabulary and text to determine the essential elements of a story, whether ultimately expressed in prose or poetry. This was fascinating!

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  29. Thank you, Susannah, for sharing your thoughts. I love the idea of telling a story more than one way - but hadn't thought about poetry.

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  30. I love and appreciate your discussion of poetic language and complementary prose -- how the two can be braided throughout to express the heart and informational text of a story. "Poetic language and rhythm to help readers feel their way to an understanding of a subject, and complementary prose that supports that understanding by guiding readers through facts." This line really stood out for me. Thank-you for this!

    Celia Viramontes

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  31. I'm intrigued with the concept of using a (really bad) poem to get intuition going in the writing process. It's going into my idea toolbox.

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  32. Thanks, Susannah, for sharing. You posted some great examples, including Jennifer Ward's book on bird nests. I've had the pleasure of meeting jennifer and hearing her presentation on non-fiction writing.

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  33. Thank you for sharing your insights about your process of getting to the essence of your subject by using a combination of prose and poetry. Sounds like an excellent suggestion to try when writing!

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  34. Thanks, Susannah for sharing. I am looking forward to checking out some of the mentor texts you listed.

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  35. I seem to be missing the ”loves poetry” gene, but your comments about how children react to rhythm, rhyme and refrain really resonated. I lead a toddler music program and it is amazing how even young kiddos soak up words when rhythm, rhyme and refrain are incorporated. I think you've inspired me to experiment as you suggested by writing poems at least as part of the process. Thank you!

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  36. "Rhythm, rhyme, and refrain can help break down facts into easy-to-remember chunks..." This is even helpful for me as an adult. Sometimes nonfiction facts can be dry and lose my attention. Rhythm and rhyme helps make it fun and more memorable. Like songs on the radio. I never seem to forget those. That can be true for nonfiction stories in rhyme.
    -Ashley Congdon

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  37. What great advice! Thanks! I like the idea of writing a poem to find voice.

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  38. "And finally, writing in poetry and prose can help us find our story." Thank you Susannah for this tip. I won't be ashamed of my poetic efforts to help me find my way into pulling my fact-finding into focus.

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  39. This topic is fascinating to me. I have been wanting to try this type of writing style, I know nothing about poetry. I am thinking of lyrical writing or free verse. I know it still requires rhythm of sorts. Thanks for your article.

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  40. Susannah , I own a copy of your awesome book Predator and Prey! I will try and write a poem about a topic too!

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  41. Susannah, this post flew straight to my heart! I've always loved poetry and science. The way you've described combining them or using poetry to find the essence of your story is inspirational. This article is a keeper!

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  42. I like the idea of writing a poem to discover the heart of your story - why you are drawn to it. I think I'll try it!

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  43. I like the idea that writing in poetry or prose can help us find our story! A new thought. Thanks.

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  44. I am in awe of you and any other authors who can write poetry. And then to use the poetry to teach and enlighten kids is amazing!

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  45. So many great ways to convey challenging facts! I'm going to try writing a poem when researching my next NF. Thank you for your post!

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  46. Love the idea of discovering science through poetry. Thanks for the great examples.

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  47. What a great idea - to distill the reams of research into a poem! I can see how this will help focus my "story" and help me discover the heart of the matter. Thanks for a great post and great book suggestions! I'm off to the library!

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  48. What struck me most is the idea of writing a poem as a writing tool for my NF PBs. I started writing as a poet and had left it behind. You have excited my about returning to it for this purpose. Thank you!

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  49. "Predator & Prey" sounds so very very interesting! I cannot wait to read your words & hear what each side says :)

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  50. Thanks for an interesting and inspiring post (and from a fellow biologist-writer, no less!). I haven't experimented with poetry yet but hope to do so. Writing a poem about your subject to find your voice sounds intriguing!

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  51. Thanks for a great post! Perhaps I will take your advice and try to write in poetry - you never know how it will turn out!

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  52. Susannah, thank you for the poetry idea! I love reading and writing poetry, but never thought about using it to help write our stories. I’ll have to give it a shot and see how it goes :)

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  53. I love the idea of using a familiar structure to tackle a complicated topic. I look forward to reading your book!

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  54. What I've been loving about the NF Fest are the mentor text examples given that are directly related to the authors' posts. Susannah, your post is no exception - thank you for a peek into your process and examples - Priscilla

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  55. That's an interesting idea to use poetry to create a story for our ms, but the line that struck me most was: "Terrible writing is all part of the process." LOL! Thank you for the advice!

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  56. I've had ideas show up as poems and others as strictly prose. The suggestion that they come from different places/processes makes sense. Love the idea of combining the two, to use poetry to inform the prose and vice versa. Thank you!

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  57. The thought of writing poetry intimidated me until I read this post. You provide both the freedom and the rationale to write bad poetry, knowing that it the nuggets that are uncovered in writing poetry will inform the work in whatever form it takes. Thanks so much — for me, this was a fabulous take-away!

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    1. Me too, Susan! I've been sorry that I missed the poetry session of our Highlights workshop, because I've been learning more and more about how helpful poetry can be in nonfiction writing. Susannah's post is encouraging!

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  58. Writing poetry or in rhyme does not come naturally to me but I love these examples.

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  59. Such an interesting concept to play around with combining poetry and prose. And isn't this the truth: "Terrible writing is all part of the process."

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  60. Looking forward to reading your book. I love your line about explaining the science but making it readable and rhythmic for the reader. That can be quite a struggle for me.

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  61. I like her tip: ". . . writing in poetry and prose can help us find our story. When I’m working on a prose piece, I often reach a point where I’ve collected notebooks full of facts, but I’m unsure of how to gather it all together. At these times, I’ll write a poem about my subject." Very thought provoking.

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  62. Thanks for sharing today. I look forward to reading some of the mentor texts you mentioned.

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  63. This post gave me a lot to think about. Combining poetry and prose. Using poetry for non-fiction books. Thanks.

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  64. Thanks for mentioning the role poetry can play in developing the voice for a prose science text. The mix of science and poetry is very appealing!

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  65. Thank you for the mentor texts and I can't wait to try writing a poem on my current topic.

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  66. Thanks for the guidance and encouragement to write and formulate our ideas through both poetry and prose! 🙂

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  67. I have a deep love for poetry. I can't help but infuse it into my prose.

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  68. Thanks for your informative post.
    I like the ideas for combining poetry, rhyme and rhythm with nf!

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  69. It's helpful to think in terms of the prose and poetry combination representing the logic and intuition combination required by scientists--thanks for this!

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  70. Love the idea of using a poem to pare notebooks full of facts down to the essence of a story. Thank you for the great post!

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  71. Susannah, thanks for describing how poetry can help us reach our readers, and for your comment, "Terrible writing is all part of the process." A good reminder to relax now and revise later.

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  72. Susannah, I love the idea of writing a poem to find the voice of a story. I have just the MS to try this with. Thank you so much!

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  73. I really like the way you use poetry to cut through the fact clutter. Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas.

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  74. I like the idea of writing a poem, just to get the brain thinking in new directions. Very helpful, Susannah.

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  75. I absolutely love when poetry and nonfiction mix! Thank you for this post!

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  76. "Rhythm, rhyme, and refrain can help break down facts into easy-to-remember chunks" - YES! Thank you for both the poetry and prose in this post!

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  77. Really helpful information. And I just bought your book to share with my kids! It looks wonderful!

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  78. I love the idea of writing a poem to find a lyrical focus. I too have a science background but want to find that balance between presenting facts and instilling wonder. Thank you.

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  79. I love how you've tied the close observation of science with that of poetry. Can't wait to read your book!

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  80. Love this topic! I don't see myself (as of now) writing NF in poetry but I love reading it and sharing with my students (5th grade). I just purchased a book called EUREKA! Poems about Inventors by Joyce Sidman. It's phenomenal. Thanks for sharing your insights with us.

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  81. I love this. The idea of using poetry, not only as a way to convey information, but also just to distill your thoughts, is perfect! Thanks!

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  82. Oh, you have to love those little nuggets that nestle in out-of-the-way places. Thanks for this post. I'm struggling with great silent information holes for my story.

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  83. I love combining poetry and prose. Kudos on your idea for this book- it sounds fascinating!

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  84. Love this post. It has inspired me to think of NF in poetic terms...

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  85. Love this idea of writing a little prose to settle yourself into your topic and warm up for writing.

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  86. What a great tip to use poetry to find the tug of your science story. (I have this terrific book, so please don't add me to the drawing.)

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  87. Loved this line: Combining poetry and prose can also help pull together separate facts into a satisfying whole. Thanks for a great post!

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  88. Poetry has never been my strong suit, but after reading your post I'm willing to give it a shot. :) Thanks for the inpsiration.

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  89. This is a clever idea! I hope my library will get a copy of your book as it sounds fabulous for mentor text for me. I admire authors who can write poetry based on nonfiction. I like the idea of finding the center of your research using verse.

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  90. I like the idea of experimenting with prose and poetry help find the story you want to write.

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  91. This is a useful post for me. The idea of using poetry with the LIST of non fiction facts and making it beautiful is ideal. Thank you for doing that and posting the mentor texts. I can add them to my list!

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  92. I never had much interest in science as a kid, but I still recall the words to the songs we sang (played by the teacher, on a record player!) in 5th grade about The SUN and THE WATER CYCLE. In fact, I sought out the recording and used it in my own classroom many years later. Capturing the heart of the science story, by first drafting poetry (however terrible) is a brilliant idea! Many thanks, Susannah, for everything in your post!

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  93. As a fellow poet, I love reading more about your process. Your book sounds fantastic, Susannah. Can't wait to pick it up.

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  94. Thank you for offering the idea of using poetic intuition to find a way in to a heavily-researched story. It's something I hadn't thought about trying in such a purposeful manner. Now I want to go find and read your book, Predator & Prey. It sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge/insights into writing nonfiction.

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  95. Using poetry and prose to bring facts together in an engaging way—what a wonderful way for kids to learn about any challenging non-fiction topic. Valuable post, Susannah!

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  96. Susannah, as an author of a nonfiction poetry collection (and one to come) I say THANK YOU for highlighting this genre in a post. I love your book Predator and Prey! Such a clever way to approach animal relationships and the food chain!

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  97. Thank you, Susannah, for this informative post. I love writing nonfiction poetry as well.

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  98. I love writing in layered text, and your post has covered the process and aims beautifully. Thank you!

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  99. Love to learn that science, poetry, and prose can be good book-fellows! Thank you.

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  100. Non fiction poetry and prose has a nice ring to it. Thank you.

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  101. Susannah, it's so helpful to remember the intuitive and logical brains! Thank you!

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  102. What a wonderful idea! I like to write both poetry and prose, so I'm looking forward to picking up your book and the other mentor texts you mentioned. It could mean a breakthrough on a WIP I've been struggling with for the last 18 months.The big question has been...poetry or prose? Maybe I can finally make it work! Thanks for sharing.

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  103. persona poem battles is beyond brilliant! I just have to try writing one now.

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  104. NF poetry is something that's been on the back of my mind - now to learn a little bit more about writing poetry and perhaps, more importantly, just picking out a subject of research :)

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  105. Great post, Susannah! Thank you for sharing your insights on how poetry and prose can work together to bring ones nonfiction to light. I have never thought about writing poetry to jump-start my nonfiction but can see where it could easily be the perfect fit.

    I will definitely be checking out the books you listed as mentor texts

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  106. As a lover of rhyme I am in awe of the idea of writing a NF topic using poetic language. Done well, it is pure genius! I am going to have to read your book and those you mention to see how this skill is achieved.

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  107. I love rhyme and the idea of using it in a nonfiction manuscript. Thanks for your post.

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  108. This is a FABULOUS post. Thank you, Susannah, for sharing ways we can work our way into a story. I love your idea of writing a poem when one is faced with "a pile of clutter" and oh, so much information. What a wonderful way to discover or reinforce the heart of your story, or as Candace Fleming says, "the vital idea."

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  109. This has inspired me to play around with poetry to make my nonfiction sing! Thank you!

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  110. Thank you for mentioning the idea that each animal has its own motivations and strategies that shape its behavior when interacting with others, but especially for pointing to the importance of white space in poetry:

    "In each collection, the white space, language, and imagery in the poetry gives the ideas room to breathe, providing mental space for the readers to make connections. The sidebars and back matter expand the reader’s understanding with additional details."

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  111. Thank you, Susannah, for sharing information about two-layered texts of combining poetry and prose.

    Suzy Leopold

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  112. What a fabulous idea :) Thanks for sharing!

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  113. I'm a novice when it comes to poetry but trying it out as a way to get into the story makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much!

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  114. I like your idea of writing a (terrible) draft poem. I'm going to try it. Thank you for an interesting post. Can't wait to read Predator and Prey: A Conversation in Verse. It looks really good!

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  115. Now that I've read your post, it seems obvious that using the rhythmic structure of poetry in NF could really help young readers savor the content and retain the information more easily. Mind blown! Thanks for a great post.

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  116. I inadvertently wrote an unexpected draft poem the other day when trying to write a 50-wordcount picturebook (for another exercise) (initially seemed impossible!) - after reading your excellent post I see it in a whole different light as a valuable deliberate step. Thank you!

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  117. I really appreciated the notion of using poetry to layer the information, and how it can be used to offer information in easy-to-remember bites. Thank you!

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  118. I was very happy to read this. I've written two manuscripts where the story is written like a poem and the pages have sidebar information that confirms, or adds to, the verse section of the manuscript.I'm not sure what publishers like these type of books or what section they would be shelved in a library. A few years back I submitted one of these to Rate Your Story and it received a 2! Thanks you for the post and the chance for a prize.

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  119. Loved thinking about different approaches!

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  120. I also love non fiction poetry for learning and this is great info.

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  121. Marrying poetry with nonfiction! Thanks for showing us how two of my all time favorites can be matched together.

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  122. I love reading poetry and hearing how you write it. I'm not ready to write it, but I'm glad to have a peak inside.

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  123. Thank you Susannah for sharing your writing process. I love that you said part of the process is to write something that no one else will see. And that you write a poem to shake your brain up in a different way in order to find out why you were drawn to the story in the first place. Great job on your inspiring post!

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  124. What a wonderful surprise to find a RACWI member here!!! And love the exploring NF by writing poems to find the core.

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  125. I always like the NF books that use poetry and/or lyrical language. I'm looking forward to exploring these texts and seeing how form enhances theme. Thanks (and for reminding us that even bad poetry can help us find our voice.).

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  126. Thanks, Susannah. I loved your line about poetry providing a cohesive link in the assorted types of bird nests. Congratulations on your debut.

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  127. Thanks so much for the wonderful post. I find that writing in verse helps me avoid the "telly nature" that can sometimes happen to me.

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  128. Yay! I am so glad that a poetry post is included in the NF Fest. I've always been drawn to lyrical language and poetry and love when I find a great STEM picture book. I look forward to reading Predator and Prey.

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  129. This is great, especially the suggestion of trying poetry as a way to tap into the intuitive brain, the "voice." I am looking forward to getting your books, and the other titles you mentioned.

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  130. Poetry gets to the heart of the story...that's an excellent way to define what poetry is to writing.

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  131. Thanks for this detailed insight into one of my favorite layouts for NF.

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  132. You've given me a lot of books to add to my library hold list. Thanks!

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  133. Thank you for sharing this! It's fun to hear about your writing process and how you tackle those tricky words.

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  134. Using poetry to get to the heart of the story and to help find the voice is amazing! I think this could even be used when writing fiction stories!

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  135. Excellent post! I can relate to everything you said. My favorite line is this: "Writing a poem reminds me of that gut-feeling of why I was inspired by my subject in the first place, cutting through my fact-clutter, and paring everything down to the essentials."

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  136. I'm excited about the idea of using poetry to convey a complex, multi-faceted story, and I can't wait to try it. Thank you.

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  137. Wonderful titles/examples. Can't wait to read yours. Maria Johnson

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  138. Excellent examples -- just love Joyce Sidman's work, and thank you for this refreshing way of using poetry!

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  139. Thank you so much for sharing your process, I love the idea of poetry and prose as a vehicle for playing with word choice, and simply allowing the intutive brain to take over.

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  140. Thank you so much for sharing your process, I love the idea of poetry and prose as a vehicle for playing with word choice, and simply allowing the intutive brain to take over.

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  141. Wonderful examples. Looking forward to playing with prose and poetry!

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  142. Thank you for a very thought provoking post!!

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  143. I never thought to try writing poetry when writing science to help work through the piece. I am going to give it a try on a little science subject for practice!

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