POETRY : FIRST YEAR REQUIRED COURSES by Julian Mithra
We are very excited for Julian Mithra’s new experimental collection of poetry (amongst other things), Unearthingly. In it, a Chicanx tomboy named Cheeky explores the defunct mines beneath a ghost town, recording their observations in a series of linked works from radical collages of textbooks to animal fables and geologic pamphlets. It is, as the description might speak to, a wild and wonderful piece of work.
Mithra did us the great favor of recording a piece from Unearthingly–”First Year Required Courses”.
It is quite excellent. Give it a listen below.
Purchase Unearthingly from Kernpunkt Press.
When a book is purchased through one of our reviews, round-ups (etc.) we receive an affiliate commission.
Unearthingly
Julian Mithra
Kernpunkt Press
First Year Required Courses
(Student Handbook, School of Mining, Class of 1939)
by Julian Mithra
Metallurgency
Even before sampling, assaying or extracting, the engineering pupil must appreciate the vigor with which his predecessors have searched for precious metals. In this survey of “gold fever,” the professor will tour Australian diamond fields, Klondike ghost towns, and even the mythic Seven Cities of Cibola. The requisite course contextualizes the evolving value of gold, from its appearance on secret maps managed by the viziers of ancient Egypt to Aztec burial goods to the modern “gold standard” of currency.
Animalgamation
No study would be complete without consideration of the rare “mining” species attracted to ingots glinting in the gloam. Study how bowerbirds gloat over their giant collections, or pack rats dash like quicksilver to natal mineral. In lab, attempt to tame a magpie from the taiga, skilled in cache-stealing gems arisen from magma.
Hibernacula Design
Occasionally it is necessary to overwinter at an active mining site. This off-campus fieldwork course introduces students to engineering a well-insulated, sturdy, temporary abode in which a small team may comfortably spend two-three months when the site is in need of guarding and/or supervision. Certain “life skills” will be tested, such as chopping wood, stripping logs, and trapping animals. Second-years oversee rustic architecture & tool handling.
Oredressing
Once the ore has been extracted, the next step is dressing. Those with prior home economics will be adequately prepared in pattern-making, seaming, color theory, drape, and sourcing fabric and notions. Each student will complete a culminating project from sketch to assembly to model that best displays each ore’s intrinsic qualities. A public event will be held at the amphitheatre to showcase samples and award a scholarship to the most inventive and expressive design.
Smellting
The beginning technician will gain mastery over extractive practices by which we purify raw ore to scent. This laboratory course will be conducted with a blindfold. Each student must demonstrate several techniques of manufacture by producing a series of extracts of increasing complexity (from a separatory funnel to an acid-base reaction) culminating in a final demonstration of a tri-step distillation isolating a single scent from a compound. Successful sample theses include balsam from pinyon, vetivert from globemallow, and bergamot from bee balm.
Numinousmatics
In ancient times, metallurgists pressed coin directly from the crucible with a die-stamp. In this course, the student will acquire the skills to identify the experience of reverence toward holy presences (which cannot simply be cast and stamped) through historical readings and field excursions. Peering into vast chasms, staring at a candle flame, or climbing a tree, one will develop an appreciation for those in which the divine has manifested yet defies description.
