What We Mean When We Say Bell Curve

Ewen Glass

The Science

The Bell Curve is one of the most recognisable measures of distribution in science, a shape born of data that not only says something – and can thus be seen as a language itself – but says it loud. That said, the bell curve doesn’t represent outliers so there’s a tension inherent to the bell curve poem, where poetry is so often used to breach norms and embrace outliers. This conflict reminds us of the humanness of the investigator, here expressed in perhaps secret, perhaps explicit anxiety around their findings.

The Poet

Ewen is a Northern Irish poet and senior lecturer in film who lives in England with two dogs, a tortoise and lots of self-doubt; on a given day, any, or all of these can be snapping at his heels. In addition to poetry in, or forthcoming in, HAD, Bridge Eight, Poetry Scotland, Maudlin House, Belfast Review and elsewhere, Ewen holds a research interest in using story in the public communication of science. In his collaborations with scientists in UK, Ewen has become well versed in the potential anxiety around gathering scientific data.

Next poem: Words by María del Carmen Redondo Bermúdez