Atomic Romances, Molecular Dances by Mala Radhakrishnan

This book has a special place on my shelf at home. One important reason is that this collection of poems was written by one of my favorite professors at Wellesley College, who not only taught me physical chemistry but also reminded me of the possibility of merging the arts with the sciences instead of separating them. Besides being a chemist/researcher/professor, Dr. Radhakrishnan is also a poet (obviously), a musician (she plays the violin!), and a performer (she brought this contagious energy and passion to every lesson she taught). Simply put, I adore her as a person because of how she animates the inanimate (read: physical chemistry!).

This idea of animation and life is at the heart of this collection of poems. The title itself is very revealing— atomic romances, molecular dances. If we incorporate more life and animation into science classrooms, think of the students we could reach and enliven!

Poetry is fun and playful, but more so, it expands our imagination as learners and channels our emotions. Poetry is more than just words on a page—it has a life of its own. Because of its potential to animate and humanize the classroom, I am including poetry in the curricular resources for queering science education.

Below is a performance from Dr. Radhakrishnan of one of her poems from the book: