Inspired by paleontologists, professor publishes book of poetry
In summer 2017, Christina Olson was invited by College of Science and Mathematics professor Katy Smith to serve as poet-in-residence for a paleontology conference and exhibition (“The Valley of the Mastodons”) at the Western Science Center in Hemet, California.
These poems, exploring the nature of history, assembly, and ownership, were inspired by that time spent among paleontologists, as well as Olson’s observations of the museum’s collection of fossils, particularly Max the Mastodon. The resulting chapbook of poetry, “The Last Mastodon,” won the 2019 Rattle Chapbook Prize and was published December 2019.
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