Dr. Rebecca Danos, photo supplied
UWinnipeg Research Scholar and physicist, Dr. Rebecca Danos, is an emerging author and poet . Her poem Secret Sister, was recently published in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Danos finds writing similar to her physics, “It is a way of interpreting my observations of both the internal and external, much like physics or math,” expressed Danos. “In physics we use the language of math to analyze the underlying structure of the universe, and in poetry and prose we use the language of words and sentences to achieve a parallel goal. I think of the problems I encounter in writing — either in plot, structure, character, or narrative — as analogous to physics problems. I use the same part of my brain to solve both types of problems, and science and writing are creative endeavours.”
In 2015, Danos took part in the UWinnipeg Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence work shop lead by Jennifer Still.
“Meeting Jennifer was singularly instrumental both in my writing and in this journey of exposing my vulnerability,” shares Danos on her inspiration to publish. “Jennifer’s the first person besides my spouse who ever read my creative writing. If it weren’t for her, I would still be writing, but I wouldn’t be submitting it for publication or allowing others to read it. Jennifer instilled in me a sense that my stories are worth sharing. Because of the positive experience with Jennifer, I’ve sought mentorship from all of the UWinnipeg Carol Shields writers-in-residence who followed her, Rick Chafe, Katherena Vermette, and Meira Cook. Each mentor was pivotal in shaping and developing my writing.”
Danos has an essay coming out in an anthology this summer called Waiting: An Anthology. Her work has been shared on CTV Winnipeg news, where she read an excerpt from a poem, and she has been published in the Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal.
Danos also has over 70 blog entries to her name. Her work was also recently read at Theatre by the River’s Wine & Words.
Danos is an alumna of McGill University, UCLA, and Wellesley College and was a CITA National Fellow. She has published a dozen refereed physics articles in high-impact journals and dozens of interviews and essays in Wellesley Underground where she served as senior editor. Danos is currently involved in a research group on quantum information theory working with faculty and post-docs from the University of Winnipeg, Brandon, and the University of Manitoba.
