Stars in their eyes, poetry in their hearts

BEREA — Astronomy and poetry will come together on June 18 for a special edition of the Cosmic Cafe events at the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center. 

The event, Cosmic Cafe with Celestial Poetry, will begin at 8 pm at the Forestry Outreach Center, located on Big Hill Road. Organizers say the event will be a casual meeting for people interested in the night sky followed by telescopic sky observation if weather conditions permit. 

 The event is hosted by the Pinnacles Astronomy Club, an organization led by local astronomer Jeff Hutton, meant to promote interest in astronomy through education programs, public events, and community outreach. The club regularly hosts gatherings at the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center where attendees can learn about celestial objects and observe the night sky through telescopes.  

 The first Cosmic Cafe, which was held on May 14, focused on bringing astronomy lovers together, the upcoming one will add a new element through the astronomy themed poetry.   

 "It wasn’t heavily attended. I think we probably hit maybe five or six people. From that way, you wouldn’t think it was a success, but people really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and just a ‘What would you like to know?’ kind of thing … they allowed their own curiosity to guide their own experience,” said Hutton.

 The Cosmic Cafe series is different from other more formal events by making conversation and participation a priority. Rather than focusing on lectures or demonstrations, the event allows attendees to control the discussion based on their own interests and curiosity.

The inspiration for the Cosmic Cafe series came from Hutton’s time as a professor at Xavier University. 

 “I believe you have to engage people emotionally before they become intellectually turned on by a subject. So if you have a different way of looking at things, instead of being so-called cold science. How do the workings of the cosmos affect you as far as being appreciative of the beauty and all that?,” said Hutton.

 The poetry aspect of Cosmic Cafe was inspired by local Berea poet Libby Falk Jones. 

 “She's never really had a good chance to look at the moon through a telescope before. So I said, ‘come on over,’ and we just had a nice talk. The funny thing is, neither one of us thought about the idea of combining astronomy and poetry until after that evening … We came up with the idea almost at the same time. So I called her and asked her what she thought about it and that's how things got started,” said Hutton.

 Participants interested in reading a poem, but who do not have one prepared can request one from a collection of astronomy themed poems Jones helped curate.   

 Hutton believes events such as Cosmic Cafe can help create a greater appreciation for science within the Berea community.

 “I think it’s just having appreciation of one more aspect of life,” Hutton said. “In our current national conversation, science is doubted. It’s put down. It’s not seen as something for everyone and my intention is to show them that this stuff is fun. Science is cool, astronomy is cool, and you don’t have to be embarrassed to say it.”

 Cosmic Cafe with Celestial Poetry will let people connect with astronomy in a new way. While some enjoy viewing planets, stars, and galaxies through a telescope, others find meaning in asking the bigger questions in regards to the universe. The addition of poetry to the event is meant to give another way for attendees to engage with those ideas and share their own perspectives, creating a greater appreciation for the beauty of the night sky and the ways people interpret their place within it.

 “What I’m hoping [attendees] take away from the event is that the cosmos; which is everything that ever has been, everything that is, everything that will be, is part of all of us and people interpret their relationship with the cosmos in a different way. Some people, like me, just love to look through telescopes and appreciate Jupiter or a star cluster. Other people just enjoy making connections with what happens out there and what happens internally themselves … It’s a way of making connections,” said Hutton.

 The event is welcome to people regardless of their level of experience with astronomy. Whether attendees are longtime enthusiasts or just curious, the goal is to create an environment where questions and new ideas are encouraged.

 In addition to poetry readings, organizers are looking for astronomy photographs from the community. The images will be displayed as a backdrop during the event's poetry section. The community is encouraged to include their names on the images and keep file sizes relatively small.

Submissions should be sent to Jeff Hutton. This event is free and open to the public.