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For now, Arena Stage’s musical, ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ Going Places, has ended. Until it (hopefully) returns, I encourage readers to revisit the book that inspired it.
In Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel, a physicist is held hostage between dimensions. In true sci-fi fashion, L’Engle draws on Einstein’s theory of relativity and Planck’s quantum theory to make this predicament feel possible. Without that blend of wonder and science, A Wrinkle in Time might never have captivated readers the way it has since its 1962 publication.
It’s easy to overlook the connection between scientific exploration and artistic imagination—yet it’s all around us. I’ve recently seen it in my own life.
Consider NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, scheduled to launch in 2028. With its Earth-like conditions, Titan’s eight-year expedition may offer clues to how life began on Earth. For me, news of the mission didn’t just spark curiosity—it sparked a story. I wrote The Dipurwiergus while imagining Dragonfly dipping into Titan’s methane oceans, uncovering what might lie beneath.
In a time of shifting priorities and budget cuts, it’s worth remembering that science and art are two varieties of the same species. With proper care, they can be grafted into one thriving plant in the garden of humanity. The Dragonfly mission is proof of this. Without Dragonfly, there is no Dipurwiergus.
Recommended Transient Visitors Stories by Dave O’Boyle (me) if you care want to explore the greater cosmos: The Space Bus to Oslphintror.
A poem I wrote that I thought synced with the stories:
Would the Woods have Different Wood?
Ornamental trees from distant places
transplanted
take root
where oaks and elms
used to sleep,
forming real estate developments.
Is this what the Iroquois thought
when their communal longhouses
gave way to red barns and silos?
If not, would the woods have different wood?
David O’Boyle is a
Self-published Author
Lawyer
Mooncalf
Finboy
Friend from Other Flower Pot
Transient Visitor
Earthling
Pro-Pluto
Maybe someday a Martian
Lover of Giants and Leprechauns and elves
ambassador to mummies and vampires.
David’s works are available in the shop!
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