Problems of Description in the Language of Discovery

Katharine Coles—Guggenheim Fellow, University of Utah literature and creative writing professor, and former Utah Poet Laureate—wrote Problems of Description during a research trip to Antarctica, where, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, she worked and lived alongside scientists and engineers. Among these were a group of researchers from the University of Utah, including mathematician Ken Golden. Golden’s rule of fives examines intersections between the temperature, salinity, and permeability of sea ice, and has been used to discern key data relevant to climate change. Coles’s text engages with the rule of fives, and explores the language and apparent magic inherent to scientific discovery. A gloss, extracted from the researchers’ handwritten Antarctic field notebooks, interlaces the primary text of the poem. The gloss’s composition mirrors the process of percolation and embodies the concept of dialogue between disciplines and their respective dictions. The book’s wire binding and sturdy Mylar cover allude to field researchers’ weatherproof notebooks. Fully extended, the vertically oriented accordion resembles an ice core, and translucent flyouts and overlays reveal content as through layers of ice.

Problems of Description was produced in its entirety by Book Arts Program staff and University of Utah colleagues: Creative Director David Wolske designed the book in tandem with artwork by Mary Toscano, who drew from the same scientific field notes as the poet. Claire Taylor acted as lead printer, assisted by John Thorp, Chris Dunsmore, and Becky Williams Thomas, mfa candidates in creative writing and book arts, along with studio assistant Emiline Twitchell. Text—set in Univers 47 and Chaparral—and art were printed from polymer plates on Zerkall Frankfurt, Minogami, and Arturo. The cover was laminated using Don Glaister’s sanded Mylar® technique. Emily Tipps oversaw binding of the edition, completed by assistant printers and Book Arts Program staff, with help from students in the fall 2012 bookbinding course. Marnie Powers-Torrey directed production and lent a hand or eye as needed.