Elemental Haiku: Poems to Honor the Periodic Table Three Lines at a Time

by Mary Soon Lee

Poems to honor
the periodic table
three lines at a time.

A fascinating little illustrated series of 118 haiku about the Periodic Table of Elements, one for each element, plus a closing haiku for element 119 (not yet synthesized).

Originally appearing in Science magazine, this gifty collection of haiku inspired by the periodic table of elements features all-new poems paired with original and imaginative line illustrations drawn from the natural world. Packed with wit, whimsy, and real science cred, each haiku celebrates the cosmic poetry behind each element, while accompanying notes reveal the fascinating facts that inform it. Award-winning poet Mary Soon Lee's haiku encompass astronomy, biology, chemistry, history, and physics, such as "Nickel, Ni: Forged in fusion's fire,/flung out from supernovae./Demoted to coins." Line by line, Elemental Haiku makes the mysteries of the universe's elements accessible to all.

Genres: Poetry, Science, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but has lived in Pittsburgh for thirty years. She is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and three-time winner of both the AnLab Readers’ Award and the Rhysling Award. Her latest books are from opposite shores of the poetry ocean: How to Navigate Our Universe containing 128 astronomy poems, and The Sign of the Dragon, a novel-length epic fantasy told in poetry. She hides her online presence with a cryptically named website (marysoonlee.com) and an equally cryptic BlueSky account (@marysoonlee.bsky.social).

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid.

Lovely little poems, and if you're worried, like I was, that you might not understand everything because it's been a minute since you studied science, each haiku has an author's note at the bottom of the page with some information on and history of the element.

I was also happy to find a signed copy at my local Barnes & Noble. :)

[Mark Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this book exists. It’s educational, fun, pretty, and doesn’t take long to read.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More people need to read this!

I read this poetry book in one day. It’s not like a lot of other modern poetry books. All of these poems are haikus (5, 7, 5 syllable lines) and deal with each element of the periodic table. After each haiku, there’s a short paragraph to further explain the element and some of them have pictures.

It’s fun, creative, unique, and informative. I trust the information in this book since the author included a bibliography of sources and has a background in mathematics and astronautics. I plan to have my children read this and use it to help teach them about the elements in a creative way.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
5 out of 5 🌟

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Elemental Haiku by Mary Soon Lee is a beautiful experience. I'm so pleased this book exists in the universe. From the starry cover with a haiku explaining the contents to the dedication and acknowledgements -- all in the form of a three-line poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line. Such class and cleverness. The artwork, poetry and pure science are all first rate and combine to make something more than the sum of its elemental parts. Truly unique. We didn't know we needed this book until it arrived. Can't wait to see what the author does next. I'm sure I'll be buying it.

[Heather Alexander-Leduc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful Christmas gift. Short enough to devour in one sitting, or element-by-element on your own schedule, Elemental Haiku is a wonderful blend of poetry and science. Seeing as I teach both literature and chemistry, I love things like this.

Haiku is not my favorite poetic form, but it works well for having to write 118 of them. Some haikus were based on the element's properties, others on their history, their name, or their uses. Some felt melancholic, others were full of clever wordplay or literary allusions. The note about each element was also interesting; I learned some new things and was overall inspired! Science is amazing.

[RuthAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

#ScienceSeptember, but make it poetry! 🙌 This slim volume of explores each element in the periodic table via haiku! I loved it so much when I read it in April for #NationalPoetryMonth. Each page has a haiku, a footnote about the element, and a clever illustration. As a bonafide chemistry nerd, I felt like I was visiting old friends (you know, my favorite elements) and learning new things about other elements. It’s a beautiful book that would be fun to read a little bit at a time. I would also recommend it as a gift for the science lover or teacher in your life. I am very happy that I stumbled upon this impulse purchase during a visit to New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville, Virginia!

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably learned more from Mary Soon Lee's Elemental Haiku than I ever did in high school chemistry. (If only my class had been taught by a poet!) The book offers a great little refresher on things like atomic number, periods, groups, ions, compounds, half-life, synthetic elements, etc. And astonishingly, it does this three lines at a time, in haiku of all poetic forms. With her project of writing a haiku for every known element (and a few unknown or barely known ones), Lee creates a fascinating poetry collection that leans into that surprising affinity of poetry for science, and vice-versa. I love that intersection between the two, where there's a similar spirit of questioning and exploring, but different methodologies. It's a space where Mary Soon Lee really shines as a writer. I so enjoyed the spirit of experimentation she brought to these poems.

[Yordanos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had been looking for works of literature, poetry and otherwise, written around the periodic table and associated themes. This was one of the books I came across during this research and I’m glad to have discovered it for a couple of reasons:

1) it’s a book of haikus in honor of each element of the periodic table. In order to do this, Mary Soon Lee (former scientist and mathematician herself) did ample research into the history, behavior, compounds, etc of each element and the haikus are sufficient demonstration of this background work. Each haiku is also accompanied by an illustration relevant to the element, as well as an explanatory footnote going over material that helped with the creation of the haiku and illustration.

2) it’s the first of such work I’ve come across and it gave me a greater appreciation for the effort that brought together art and science in this fluid manner (pun intended). My chemistry-nerd at heart and poet selves were joyous at this alloy (yes, pun very well intended) of imaginative creation.

The above and book’s premise aside, the content itself was ok and that’s why I’m giving the book two stars.

[Isabelle reads a book a day because she has no friends · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oxygen—
“Most of me is you.
I strive for independence,
Fail with every breath.”

What a clever idea! I loved this collection of haikus. There is one written for every element on the periodic table, and a scientific explanation for each. My favorites would have to be Oxygen, quoted above, and Radium:

Radium—
“Licked by the women
painting luminous watches
How much time stolen?”

Simply beautiful book.

[Westward Woess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Dirac, a quantum physicist, once claimed, “It’s more important to have beauty in one’s equations than to have them fit experiments.” There is beauty in science and I think this volume of poetry does good work celebrating it. I love structured, thematic poetry. I also really appreciate that I found this book in the science section of my local, independent bookstore!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do I like science? Yes. Do I like poetry? Yes. Do I like science poems? Yes^2.

[G Hudziak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a product of passion for a subject, and you can really tell. I'm not particularly interested in science myself, but Soon Lee's enthusiasm in the poems sucked me in and I really enjoyed it. I also really like haikus, and this is the first book I've read primarily made up of them.

Even if you don't know anything about the elements, Soon Lee provides an explanation to the imagery she chose for that particular poem. It really helps, and I think without it the poems wouldn't make much sense. I also really enjoyed the imagery she chose for each element, ranging from slightly comedic to imagery that makes sense but unexpected. My favorite poem in the book was Sodium, partially for this reason. It goes like this "Racing to trigger/ every kiss, every kind act;/ behind every thought." (17) I wouldn't have thought personally to depict Sodium in this way, instead probably deciding to say something about salt. Soon Lee explains below that the element can be found in the human nervous system's cells. I think her take on each element is unique, and I really like that.

I did notice that even though the poems are haikus, there were ones that had more syllables than the lines were supposed to have. So, like 6 syllables instead of 5. I think you can attribute that more to a difference in pronunciation by region than an actual mistake.

I really love the look of the book. The cover is lovely, and I love the shiny specks in the blue. On the pages, some of the poems are accompanied by art depicting imagery from the poem itself. The pages alternate between white and grey backgrounds, which can be a nice change. However, I wish the grey pages were a bit darker so the white text could stand out more.

I really liked this book, it's full of really great poems. I think if you like haikus, or you're interested in the periodic table, you should definitely check it out.

[Jenny Blackford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a true delight. It's science artfully celebrated.

[Ashley M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this collection of poetry. It was such a refreshing idea, balancing literature with science. Having left the laboratory world for a commercial role in business, I find myself missing the lab at times. I’m a big reader, so this combined with chemistry amplified my nerdiness👩🏼‍🔬. The descriptions of each element as a reference for the haiku + the illustrations were perfect. I bought this at a small bookstore in Pittsburgh and was so lucky to come across an autographed edition! I will be giving a copy of this to a few of my friends that I studied chemistry with in college!

[jedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO interesting. something something sodium being the same element that makes us feel and decide and move, and also the element that makes up the most devastating weapons of destruction? something something enemas and fireworks lololol dysprosium being named after the greek word for hard to get because it was literally hard to get. manganese in the black pigment used on Paleolithic cave drawings like the Hall of the Bulls in France. strontium being both deadly and sweet, used to make sugar from sugar beets a long time ago. everything about plutonium and uranium bombs. so many interesting things, i need to reread.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, beautiful little book. It brings two of the author’s interests together so naturally that it’s a joy to explore. As the book moves through the periodic table, each element is captured in its own haiku, followed by a brief fact or anecdote about the element.

I love how the author’s introduction describes the growth of this project. It wasn’t planned. She simply wrote a haiku about the first element, then second, third, etc. until realizing they could become a book.

The cover and interior layout are lovely as well.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straightforward collection — a haiku dedicated to each element — matched with thorough research and insightful author notes, Elemental Haiku is a sweet and easy read. While my reading experience felt a little choppy, as I had to keep returning to the author notes in order to fully appreciate and learn from each poem, I imagine that someone with more intimate knowledge of chemistry would enjoy a smoother and even more satisfactory experience.

[Mel Finefrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. I wish this had been published when I was in school. Being blind and a a lifelong English major, I struggled to connect with science in the classroom oftentimes owing to accessibility issues and learning based in memorization more than application. I hope chem teachers add this book to their curricula. My favorite haiku were for hydrogen, lithium, beryllium, oxygen, sodium, cobalt, copper, zinc, rhodium and curium.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun. Bought this for my wife (an elementary science teacher) - she'd give it 5 stars. I'll go about 3, so let's call it 4. It is as advertised - 119 haiku describing each of the elements, going through the periodic table. Fun mix of poetry and science.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creative and fun in a nerdy, scientific, chemistry kind of way. Without the science, some might call it cute.

[Erica Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully concise and informative; I loved every page!

[Maggie Eberhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and quite a treat. I found myself trying to guess what the author would focus on for each element. I was right a lot, but learned some new things as well.

[Lost Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is actually element 120, haikuium.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute collection of poems with interesting facts about many of them.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, in addition to being a fabulous blend of the science and humanities, will always hold a special place in my heart as it came to me as a gift from a student.

[Eryn McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb.

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming little book for lovers of science and poetry. 💚

[Laurie AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun haiku for chemists