Q&A with Alicia Sometimes
“some of the most astonishing disoveries
are found on the margins.”
~ Vera Rubin by Alicia Sometimes
Your poem Vera Rubin explores the achievements of an amazing female astronomer who was overlooked for a Nobel Prize. Can you tell us how you first heard of Vera Rubin and why she inspired your piece?
I first heard about Vera Rubin many years ago when I was researching scientists who had been overlooked in their careers. Vera Rubin’s name came up again and again. I read a paper Rubin wrote about herself where she begins, “My life has been an interesting voyage. I became an astronomer because I could not imagine living on Earth and not trying to understand how the Universe works.” Her passion, talent, tenacity and kindness came through in everything I read about her. I am fascinated with the search for what dark matter could possibly be. Vera Rubin is close to the beginning of any journey into that story and a great debt is owed to her.
You gave a TedxUQ talk in 2019 about your passion for combining art with science, and you both directed and co-wrote the art/science planetarium shows, Elemental and Particle/Wave. What do you find most exciting about the intersection of these disciplines?
Science and art have been side by side for the longest time. As I say in my talk, one of the most primordial, intrinsic needs of humans is to comprehend the world and to communicate that understanding. I love the way poetry and science both explore curiosity, connection, details, patterns, big ideas and the importance of language. I am fascinated with how the universe works and I know I’m not alone in that wonder.
As well as a writer and poet, you have also been a broadcaster for over 15 years. Why did you first gravitate to aural storytelling and how have you seen this form evolve?
I love the aural world. It can be so emotive and immediate. There’s layers in everything you hear from the music, sounds, voice or tone. Artists have been creating incredible sonic work for over a century and there’s so many ways to tell an intricate story or play with sounds just for the experience of it. The biggest change has been accessibility and how you can record high quality recordings not only at home, but have a recording studio in your pocket. This opens a whole new universe for a lot of artists.
Who are some great writers or thinkers we should be reading (or listening) to?
I devoured Ellen van Neerven’s new poetry collection Throat in one sitting. Thuy On’s Turbulence is also a lesson in dynamic and rich writing. I have been re-reading Eileen Chong’s exquisite collection, Painting Red Orchids and Lisa Gorton’s Press Release recently. In the science world you can’t go past Katie Mack’s incredible debut book, The End of Everything. Mind. Blown.
Alicia Sometimes is an Australian poet, writer and broadcaster. She has performed her spoken word and poetry at many venues, festivals and events around the world. Her poems have been in Best Australian Science Writing, Best Australian Poems and more. She is director and co-writer of the art/science planetarium shows, Elemental and Particle/Wave. She is currently a Science Gallery Melbourne ‘Leonardo’ (creative advisor). Her TedxUQ talk in 2019 was about the passion of combining art with science. See more at her website www.aliciasometimes.com or follow her on Twitter @aliciasometimes.