How do you describe nature? Two poets help us
4/22/202624 min
To mark Earth Day, we asked you to tell us about your favorite places on the planet. You took us to the woods near Traverse City, Michigan, to a lake in Oklahoma, to Long Island Harbor where you spent your summers as a kid.
Basking in a sea breeze and admiring a sunset are basic human pleasures. But how do you take these moments and turn them into meaning? How do you pin those feelings down with words?
Joining Host Flora Lichtman are two poets who make that attempt for their livelihood: Jane Hirshfield, founder of Poets for Science, and Kimberly Blaeser, founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets and former Wisconsin poet laureate.
Guests:
Kimberly Blaeser is a poet, founding director of Indigenous Nations Poets, and former Wisconsin Poet Laureate.
Jane Hirshfield is a poet, essayist, and translator. She is the author of “Ledger” (Knopf, 2020) and nine other books of poetry. She’s based in San Francisco, California.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJane Hirshfield· Guest0:00
Science Friday is supported by MathWorks, creator of MATLAB and Simulink software for technical computing and model-based design. MathWorks, accelerating the pace of discovery in engineering and science. Learn more at mathworks.com.
Speaker 10:15
WNYC is supported by Bayer. Science is about asking questions, testing, trying again. It's not easy, but it's relentless. It evolves, and that's why science delivers. Learn more at sciencedelivers.com.
Speaker 20:30
[singing] Come go with me. Let me take you on a holiday-ay-ay-ay.
Speaker 10:35
Nassau and Paradise Island is home to the world's clearest turquoise waters and wide sand beaches, where couples find secluded escapes, savor local flavors, and unwind to rhythms of Bahamian nights. All this and more is just a short flight away. This holiday season, plan your escape at nassauparadiseisland.com.
Speaker 20:58
[singing] A holiday.
Flora Lichtman· Host1:00
[on-hold music] Hey, I'm Flora, and you're listening to Science Friday.
Speaker 41:06
[beeping] Flora just asked me to leave a message about a special place. I wanted to share one of my favorite places on the planet.
Speaker 21:14
Calling about my place in nature that just soothes my soul.
Flora Lichtman· Host1:19
To mark Earth Day, we asked you to take us to your favorite places on this planet, and you brought us to the woods near Traverse City, Michigan.
Speaker 41:28
I