In the spirit of encouraging that dialogue among the diverse interests in academia I want to recount a recent anecdote. Others in order to have more time for lively discussion. That will be very difficult! I will, perhaps, be briefer than Today, I am challenged to live up to the performance of many past distinguished speakers. I remember looking forward to attending them. It is an honor to deliver a Scientia talk. I hope that they are not all in the past. I have only the fondest memories of my Rice days. If, in fact, home is where the heart is, this is really home. THE DREAM OF A COMMON LANGUAGE: MAKING THE SCIENCE NON-SCIENCE BRIDGE If I’m headed for a writing sabbatical, this is one that always gets stuffed in the backpack.The Dream of a Common Language: Making The Science Non-Science Bridge | NSF – National Science Foundation DR. I could probably leave this in my “currently reading” shelves indefinitely, as I periodically revisit it, each time finding more to appreciate. They provide interesting insight into both Rich and the time period she writes in, particularly the poem for Audre Lorde. The remainder of the poems are somewhat uneven for me, especially the “Not Somewhere Else” section, which seem to be primarily odes and center around specific people. To me, Rich is at her best writing about language, identity and love, and virtually every line floors me.

“Cartographies of Silence” also stands out. Thinking of lovers, their blind faith, their Without confronting the whiteness of the wall I’ve read it almost as many times as “Origins and History of Consciousness,” in the “Power” group, and find it is sheer excellence of how a writer strives to interpret self and other: They happen in our lives like car crashes,

The accidents happen, we’re not heroines, “ No one’s fated or doomed to love anyone. “Twenty-One Love Poems” is perfection, a distilled experience of a relationship arc, and XVII is permanently etched on my consciousness. This slim volume is divided into three sections, “Power,” “Twenty-One Love Poems,” and “Not Somewhere Else, But Here.” This is one of her later collections, written after receiving the National Book Award, and is remarkable for it’s openness in writing about sexuality, power and violence against women. Rich is one of my favorite poets, and there are few words to describe how beautiful and thoughtful these poems are.

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 Recommended for: poetry lovers, writers, feminists, people who enjoy reflection

The dream of a common language