IOP Writing Residency (2023)
I received an Arts Council Ireland Project Award to create the Institute of Physics' inaugural Writer in Residence Programme for 2023. My focus for this programme was to investigate the relationship between poetry and science communication, while platforming voices from backgrounds and identities underrepresented in STEM. The programme consists of a series of events, a workshop for young people, and a body of work based on interviewing physicists about their research stories and turning them into poems. Below are details about the events and projects.
To book me for your STEAM event or workshop, head over to my contact page!
To book me for your STEAM event or workshop, head over to my contact page!
Mapping the Depths of Us: a pamphlet of physics poems
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To create my poems for this residency, I interviewed physicists and wrote poems based their stories. Instead of writing poems directly about physics I wanted to write about the human side of the research process. I asked my interviewees to tell me about their careers, their high points and low points, pivotal moments and challenges, and selected key moments to turn into poems. When choosing interviewees, I specifically wanted to talk to people from minoritised backgrounds that are underrepresented in STEM, but also wanted to make sure they did not feel pressured to discuss diversity in any way and focus on their work and interests instead. Thank you so much Rucha, Temi, Femi, Siddhi and Linda for your stories, and to Brendan Owens for sending the IOP physicists my way. And special thank you to designer Gareth Jones for his amazing work designing the pamphlet!
Since 2023, this pamphlet has been distributed to the following places:
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From left to right: Picking up the pamphlet from Plus Print; Dr Tapasya Narang with the pamphlet at Dublin Book Festival, two photos from the Science Week Ireland launch night, and the pamphlets at Dingle Literary Festival.
From Stem Cells to Stars: Poetry and Physics at Dublin Book Festival/Science Week Ireland
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As part of Dublin Book Festival and Science Week Ireland 2023 audiences joined me for an afternoon of physics and poetry with poetry readings, a panel discussion and Q&A, and the launch of my pamphlet of physics poems to mark the end of my writing residency.
PERFORMERS
Writer producer and performer Saoirse Anton
Biomedical engineering researcher Rucha Benare
Fellow Emeritus in Physics at Trinity College Dublin Iggy McGovern
Award-winning poet Rosamund Taylor
ISL interpretation by Bridge Interpreters
Filming and captions by BNL Productions
PERFORMERS
Writer producer and performer Saoirse Anton
Biomedical engineering researcher Rucha Benare
Fellow Emeritus in Physics at Trinity College Dublin Iggy McGovern
Award-winning poet Rosamund Taylor
ISL interpretation by Bridge Interpreters
Filming and captions by BNL Productions
The Whole Scope of Sky: Underrepresented Voices in Science Writing at NI Science Festival
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Photos by Brendan Owens
In this event I brought together writers to talk about science writing across genres and disciplines, from science fiction, to poetry, to science communication.
SPEAKERS
Poet Viviana Fiorentino
Medical expert, journalist, editor and public educator Dr. Shubhangi Karmakar
Rsearcher and poet Dr Carolann North
Writer and curator Morgan L. Ventura
Filming and Captions by Alan Meban
SPEAKERS
Poet Viviana Fiorentino
Medical expert, journalist, editor and public educator Dr. Shubhangi Karmakar
Rsearcher and poet Dr Carolann North
Writer and curator Morgan L. Ventura
Filming and Captions by Alan Meban
Institute of Physics Spring Meeting Presentation
I presented an updated version of my talk 'Written in the Stars: A Migrant's Journey in Science Communication and Poetry' to the Institute of Physics annual Spring Meeting in Armagh, Northern Ireland, and presented my short installation Solar Flares. This was an amazing opportunity to be amongst the physics community, to learn about what they are researching and working on in Ireland and around the world, and also to bring a discussion about art and science into the physics space.
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Poetry and Physics Workshop with Trinity Access Programme Students
I was very excited to be given the opportunity to run a Poetry and Physics workshop as part of the TAP programme. Below is a summary of the programme by TAP Pathways to STEM Coordinator Ruth Saunders:
'Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) were delighted to host a workshop by Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan. We arrange a Summer School for students who are entering their final year of secondary school. Students are invited from the 21 TAP linked schools, schools that are designating as DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). The students are divided into six separate modules such as Physics, Film Studies and Law. Students work on their course work in the morning and then have activities in the afternoon. As the Pathways to STEM coordinator, I have been tasked with supporting students to engage with STEM disciplines. I have been trying to find a way to engage students who are not just wooed to STEM with robots and computer games. I have been looking for ways to convince students that they can bring their creativity with them if they embark on a STEM programme of study. When Chandrika got in touch, it was the answer I had been looking for!
'Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) were delighted to host a workshop by Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan. We arrange a Summer School for students who are entering their final year of secondary school. Students are invited from the 21 TAP linked schools, schools that are designating as DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). The students are divided into six separate modules such as Physics, Film Studies and Law. Students work on their course work in the morning and then have activities in the afternoon. As the Pathways to STEM coordinator, I have been tasked with supporting students to engage with STEM disciplines. I have been trying to find a way to engage students who are not just wooed to STEM with robots and computer games. I have been looking for ways to convince students that they can bring their creativity with them if they embark on a STEM programme of study. When Chandrika got in touch, it was the answer I had been looking for!
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On Wednesday the 28th of June, students self selected workshops to participate in. The options included Comedy debate, Musical society and the Creativity in STEM workshop. We had 16 students in the room. Chandrika had created a perfectly pitched and paced 90 min workshop. She was extremely warm and welcoming and did a beautiful job of setting norms and expectations of behaviour and engagement. She began with writing exercises which all of the students worked away on and even shared their work. Students really relaxed into the process and were engaged the entire time. Next was a group exercise where students shared the type of STEM discipline they were interested in and why, drawing from this shared document students were tasked with composing a poem. Chandrika then showed a fascinating clip from 'The Summer of Soul' documentary where people are discussing the moon landing and how it relates to their communities. This seeded a discussion about 'who is Science for?' which was a really energising topic for the students. The workshop was excellent from start to finish. It really broadened the student perspective on ways to engage with STEM and the creative arts.'
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