Idaho State University Professor Emeritus Presents Mathematical Poetry in Ireland

The poetic beauty that can be found in mathematics was shared by an Idaho State University Professor Emeritus.   

Jim Wolper was one of 14 poets from around the globe invited to read a selection of their works at the Bridges 2026 conference. Held at the University of Galway in Galway, Ireland, the annual conference highlights the “mathematical connections in art, music, architecture, and culture.” Wolper read two poems, "Changes and Deltas," which compares delivering a mathematics lecture to playing jazz, and "Ode To The Unit Circle," a reinterpretation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet "How Do I Love Thee?" He also traveled to Dublin to read "Poet at the Symphony" as part of an open mic at The International Bar, a historic Victorian pub. In addition to his readings, Wolper also performed in a mathematical play at the Bridges conference. 

“It is very encouraging to be part of a growing international community exploring the connections between mathematics and other arts,” Wolper said. “Both mathematics and poetry involve exploration, discovery, and description in very precise language, and it seems that too often people think that all of mathematics has been discovered, because that is generally what is presented in math classes. Mathematicians, like all artists, allow us to see things that otherwise might remain hidden.”

Last year, Finish Line Press published “Misdirections,” a collection of Wolper’s poems on language and travel. 

Wolper taught at Idaho State from 1991 to 2022, and his research focused on algebraic geometry and representation theory in coding and cryptography.

For more information on ISU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, visit isu.edu/math.