A few years back, Dana Gioia asked the question "Can poetry
matter?" and argued that "poetry has vanished as a cultural
force in America." (His essay appeared in The Atlantic for
May, 1991.)  As a graduate student in English, participating
in a seminar focused on Gioia's question, I am interested to
hear of unexpected ways in which poetry does matter in our
lives today.  With a background in the natural sciences (BA
in biochemistry, UC Berkeley, 1973) I would especially like
to hear from anyone who has shared poems with science
students or incorporated poetry into science-related
writings or museum exhibits.  Thanks,
 
--
Mark Foster                    |      Poets are the
University of North Dakota     |  unacknowledged legislators
Grand Forks, ND                |      of the World.
[log in to unmask]    |   --Percy Bysshe Shelley