Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Literature Onno Oerlemans was recently interviewed on the BBC Radio program The Compass, part of the Dominion series that focuses on the relationship between humans and animals. The episode, titled “Poetry and Animals,” featured interviews and readings of poems about animals.
At about the 6:38 mark, Oerlemans and his book, Poetry and Animals: Blurring the Boundaries with the Human, were introduced. He shared his thoughts about using poetry to bring humans and other animals closer together.
“To me, it’s really important that good poems open animals up to thought for us and allow us to make our own discoveries,” he said. “It’s so hard to persuade anyone of anything, right? People have to be led there by themselves and poetry is a great way to do that, I think.”
Later in the episode, Oerlemans discussed the beginning of his fascination with animals and communication.
