Hanson explores ‘study of the soul’ in poetry collection

D. Eric Hanson’s poetry comes almost by accident.

If not by accident, certainly not by Hanson’s conscious design.

The former professor, ecologist and current chef says he started writing poetry about six years ago as a way to work through emotions related to lost love. After self-publishing a collection of poems called “Acedia,” his work continued. His new book of poems, “Psychology 101,” is available now, and Hanson will sign books at Hastings on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

For Hanson, experiences like the ones that led him to write “Acedia” are opportunities to grow and learn. “Psychology 101” takes that as a jumping-off point, and explores it further.

“Part of the reasons I called it ‘Psychology,’ unlike the academic understanding of the thing, for me, this is really about the study of the soul,’” he explained. “A lot of the poems are kind of an examination of me looking at myself and reflecting it back on the page.”

Hanson’s writing background is academic in nature. He has advanced degrees but kept to the “hard sciences” like biology and ecology. He credits his musical background — he plays the cello – with giving him a foundation of rhythm and meter needed for writing poetry.

He wrote his first poem in August of 2008.

“I woke up in the morning with this idea in my head and couldn’t get to the piece of paper fast enough to write it down,” Hanson said.

While not a trained poet, Hanson puts his poems up on a website called allpoetry.com, an online community that offers readers and feedback.

He writes mostly in free verse, so no strict rhyme scheme or meter, but naturally falls into some meters as he writes. Some poems have a specific physical structure.

Some 300 poems later, Hanson decided he should publish what he’s written. He compiled and self-published “Acedia” and follows it now with “Psychology 101.”

The poems contained in “Psychology 101” don’t necessarily follow a theme, nor did Hanson write them with the idea of putting them together in a collection. They’re arranged roughly chronologically, he said.

Ultimately, for Hanson the poems are more about the reader’s interpretation than his own. After the words have left his pen, he considers the reader’s feeling as important as his own.

“It’s to get people to read and not just read and enjoy, but read it and sit with it and say, ‘Wait a minute, what’s he really saying and how does it make me feel?’” he said. “When people say, ‘This is what I got out of it,’ I never correct them.”

For Hanson, reading a poem and finding meaning is the most important part. Like Hanson’s poetry, which flows naturally and relies on inspiration, things should flow naturally.

The Essentials

What: D. Eric Hanson book signing

Where: Hastings, 726 10th Ave S

When: Saturday, Feb. 21 from 2-4 p.m.

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