Scientists working in the Arctic and Antarctic are documenting some of the most rapid environmental changes on Earth. Through ice cores, ocean measurements, satellite imagery and ecological observation, they help us understand how polar regions are changing and why those changes matter.
Poets work differently.
Through image, rhythm, metaphor, story and attention, poetry offers another way of engaging with a changing world. Poetry can linger with uncertainty, wonder, grief, beauty, contradiction and imagination. It can ask questions that data alone cannot answer.
PRAx, Spring Creek Project, and Terrain.org invite poets to create original poems in response to a selection of polar science papers from Oregon State University researchers. Participants are encouraged to read one or more of the featured papers and allow the research to spark creative inquiry.
We welcome work that is curious, imaginative, surprising and attentive. Poems may engage with the science directly or indirectly. They may be personal, lyrical, narrative, experimental, contemplative or playful.
We are not seeking poems that explain science or summarize findings. Rather, we are interested in the conversations that emerge when scientific inquiry and poetic practice meet. You do not need to understand every detail of a paper to participate. A single image, question, observation, graph or idea may be enough to inspire a poem. We encourage you to follow what captures your imagination.
Learn more and submit by August 26, 2026, at the PRAx website.
