Poetry as a Tool For Outreach in Quaternary Science: Examples From the 20th INQUA Congress

Hywel M Griffiths

doi:10.5334/oq.103

Abstract

In this paper I present a series of poems written as Poet-in-Residence at the 20th International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Congress in 2019 and evaluate my experience of their composition and the effectiveness of their dissemination via social media from my perspective as a poet and geoscientist. The poems, which mainly focus on research papers presented at the conference in sessions on climate change and cultural legacies, ice-sheet dynamics, and fluvial landscape evolution, illustrate how many themes within Quaternary science, and their relevance to the history, contemporary identity, and future sustainability of human society, can inspire poetic responses. Although the social media reach was relatively modest, engagement with the poetry by other scientists and poets indicated that there is interest within the Quaternary science community for exploring poetry as a method of communicating research. Consequently, recommendations for similar activities in future conferences include organising more participatory and performative activities during the conference programme such as workshops or readings to develop this interest, and varying the methods of dissemination using different social media platforms.

Highlights

The value of art-science collaborations is increasingly being recognised across a wide range of research fields (Macklin and Macklin 2019; Tooth et al 2019; de Mora et al 2020; Reinsborough 2020)
Does Quaternary science lend itself well to communication through poetry? What are the best ways to disseminate these poems to various audiences? In this paper I (i) present poems written during the 20th International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Congress held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland in July 2019 during which I acted as Poet-in-Residence; (ii) reflect on the poems’ reach and on the experience for me as a published poet and geoscientist; and (iii) suggest some tentative recommendations for similar activities in future
Poet-in-Residence activities shouldn’t be viewed in a short-term context only, but should consider subsequent publication, for example in poetry collections, as well as future readings which can extend the time over which poetry can draw wider audiences into Quaternary science

Summary

Introduction

The value of art-science collaborations is increasingly being recognised across a wide range of research fields (Macklin and Macklin 2019; Tooth et al 2019; de Mora et al 2020; Reinsborough 2020). In this paper I (i) present poems written during the 20th International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Congress held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland in July 2019 during which I acted as Poet-in-Residence; (ii) reflect on the poems’ reach and on the experience for me as a published poet and geoscientist; and (iii) suggest some tentative recommendations for similar activities in future.

Results

Conclusion