Parasitic Oscillations, a collection of innovative poems and images by the poet, memoirist, and professor of ecology Madhur Anand, is situated “on the cusp where art and science meet.” The poems, which range in form from intricate lyrics to assemblages of found material, are linked by a throughline concerning the study of birds, specifically the birds of India (some of them extinct). Anand draws on family history and scientific research to elucidate the ways the history of naturalism is interwoven with the history of colonialism, and deftly illustrates something else: no matter how much people insist science is objective and separate from the scientists who practice it, the knower shapes the knowledge.

This event is in collaboration with UCSB and the National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

Reservation preferred. Seating limited.