obscuritysquared

Neuroscientist, musician, and poet Michael Smilovitch explores the poetic qualities of bio-science in obscuritysquared, his first chapbook with The Blasted Tree. By importing the lexicon of brain chemistry, biology, and psychology into his verse, Smilovitch toys with commonly accepted notions of perception and subjectivity. obscuritysquared is fast-paced, funny, surreal, and smart. Most of this collection is previously unpublished, and three poems (the Special Features) were available exclusively in limited edition chapbooks from The Blasted Tree Store! You can navigate through an online preview of obscuritysquared using the links below.

1 – neuropoetry

1.1 – On auditory hallucinations experienced in a vacuum
1.2 – On dreams
1.3 – On brain chemistry (Propranolol)
1.4 – On face blindness (Prosopagnosia)
1.5 – On the mere exposure effect (Favorite Song)

2 – novelty

2.1 – On chimerism
2.2 – On context and predecessors, part 1
2.3 – On conceptual synthesis
2.4 – On context and predecessors, part 2 (Pound Cake)
2.5 – On the impossibility of innovation

3 – Special Features

3.1 – chased by bears across marshmallow bluffs
3.2 – listen, birds
3.3 – regarding the upstairs neighbors

Thanks & Acknowledgments