Stellar Atmospheres by Alicia Sometimes is a poetic journey through the cosmos, blending scientific inquiry with lyric expression. This collection interrogates questions about the universe (such as the events preceding the Big Bang), the composition of matter and the fate of existence. Sometimes, though not a scientist, channels her deep curiosity into poetry that renders complex astrophysical concepts accessible and evocative.
Cross-disciplinary links between the arts and sciences are made explicit throughout the collection. Sometimes’ artistic engagement with the scientific community is evident throughout Stellar Atmospheres. Collaborations with institutions like the ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics at the Terascale (CoEPP), the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (DMPP) have enriched her work, infusing it with depth.
These partnerships have allowed her to explore topics ranging from gravitational waves to dark matter, seamlessly integrating them into her poetry in a way that stretches conventional boundary lines between lyric meaning-making and empirical knowledge systems.
In Stellar Atmospheres, Sometimes reflects on her fascination with the cosmos. “From the first moment I listened to stories about the night sky,” she writes. “I fell in love with astronomy and physics.” This passion is palpable in her work, as she transforms abstract scientific ideas into poetic imagery. Her approach underscores the power of metaphor and storytelling in crossing between traditional disciplinary containers.
The collection also touches on personal experiences, intertwining them with its preoccupations with scientific metaphor. In ‘Constellation Rifts’, Sometimes addresses her experience with breast cancer, drawing parallels between personal turmoil and celestial phenomena. “Heaviness releases so the neck can move slightly – an aerial view focuses on contrasting screens of shadow-black and faux-phosphorescence,” she writes. “These lucent mini-supernovae, vital and living, lantern-dancers forming galaxies. The radiotracer, emitting gamma rays and swaddling tissue, grading as it details function, probing for signs of trouble.”Â
This fusion of the personal and the universal is the heart of Stellar Atmospheres, and offers the reader a strange – even unearthly – insight into the ways astronomical phenomena can form lyric parallels to the pain and pleasure of ordinary existence.
Read: Book review: Outrageous Fortunes, Megan Brown and Lucy Sussex
Stellar Atmospheres serves as a bridge between science and poetry. Sometimes adroitly navigates the intricacies between empirical inquiry and artistic expression, inviting readers to ponder the universe through a poetic lens. Her work exemplifies how art and science can converge to illuminate the wonders of existence, making the complexities of the cosmos both comprehensible and profoundly moving –somehow both distant and intimate, all at once.
Stellar Atmospheres, Alicia Sometimes
Publisher: Cordite Books
ISBN: 9780645761627
Format: Paperback
Pages:Â 77pp
Publication:Â 11 March 2024
RRP: $20
