‘Poems may not change the world directly, but a poem can change a person who will change the world.’ — American poet/orator Richard Blanco
‘Poetry is the shortest distance between two humans.’ — American poet/painter Lawrence Ferlinghetti
‘Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. Poetry is the art of giving different names to the same thing.’ —French mathematician Henri Poincaré
overall poetry BIO: Sparked by the mountainous west Texas desert and courses by award-winning poets Susan Wood and Sasha Pimentel, Lesser has published 100+ poems spanning over a dozen journals/anthologies, including P&W Directory venues such as Talking Writing and BorderSenses Literary Magazine. Lesser is a UTEP Distinguished Teaching Professor who has given talks/readings and written papers on poetry with educational context. He’s also a former teaching center director, textbook author, and award-winning songwriter.
STEM poetry BIO: Most of Lesser’s 100+ published poems have a math/statistics lens, and some have won national contest prizes or appeared in anthologies/journals such as Bridges, Consilience, The Mathematical Intelligencer, J. of Humanistic Mathematics, Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, Amstat News, J. of Mexican American Educators, etc. Lesser’s work has yielded local and non-local solo readings/talks, invited multi-poet readings (e.g., Science Museum of VA), a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read event here, podcast, video zine, gallery exhibits (#1, #2), conferences (e.g., this, this, this, or this, and plenary talks for regional MAA/NMMATYC and international NAFIPS conferences, NPR-station interviews (#1 or #2), or podcast episode. He gave national workshops (MoMath, eCOTS, USCOTS), organized (with Karaali & Norton) evenings of mathematical poetry at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (e.g., 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022; see programs), founded the Mathematical Poets FB group, judged (with Karaali, Growney, or Alcala) all AMS student math poetry contests to date (2018-19, 2019-20, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26) and (with McMurray) the 2026 Mu Sigma Rho Statistics and Probability Haiku Contest. His STEM poems/songs are part of overall efforts (some funded by NSF) to humanize STEM class, reduce anxiety, and support student learning. He’s grateful how the arts help him connect with his students and also bring meaning, comfort, and joy to stressful times.
peer-reviewed papers on STEM/education poetry:
G. Karaali & L. M. Lesser (2025). “Arts of the heart: Mathematics and poetry.” In Bharath Sriraman (Ed.), Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences (2nd edition), 14 pp. NY: Springer.
L. Lesser (summer 2025). Poetry projects and activities help make students well-versed in statistics. Teaching Statistics, 47(2), 139-149. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/test.12400
G. Karaali & L. M. Lesser (2021). “Arts of the heart: Mathematics and poetry.” In Bharath Sriraman (Ed.), Handbook of the Mathematics of the Arts and Sciences (pp. 967-979). NY: Springer.
L. Lesser (2021). “Presenting Mathematical Poetry Across Disciplinary Lines“. In David Swart, Frank Farris, Eve Torrence, & Craig S. Kaplan (Eds.), Proceedings of Bridges 2021: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture (pp. 371-374). Phoenix, AZ: Tessellations Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-938664-39-7. [from associated talk]
L. Lesser (2021). “Stats Class ‘Stanza Part’ with Poetry!” poster, 9th United States Conference on Teaching Statistics. [a subsequent related poster yielded a 2021 Joint Statistical Meetings proceedings paper (or here)]
L. Lesser (2014). “Mathematical lyrics: Noteworthy endeavours in education“. Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 8(1-2), 46-53. (appearing in a focus issue on mathematical poetry, it’s one of the journal’s most-read papers)
90+ STEM/education poems (other types are listed at the end of this page) with my favorites in boldface:
(expected 2027). “Out of Chaos”, Journal of Humanistic Mathematics,
(expected 2027). “When Free-Throw Shooting is Golden”, “Golden Silence,” and “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum!” [golden fibble and goldie poems]. In Lisa Lajeunesse and Sarah Glaz (curators), “Shaped by Φ: Bridges 2026 Collection of Golden Forms.” Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 17(1),
(2026). Stem Plot, haiku (3rd-place in the Professional category) in ASA Gives Back Haiku/Meme challenge and on p. __ of the Dec. 2026 Amstat News no. 594
(Nov. 13, 2025). “Censored Data”, haiku (1st-place in the Professional category) in ASA Gives Back Haiku/Meme challenge and on p. 7 of Feb. 2026 Amstat News no. 584
(2025). “Bell Curve Areas“. honorable mention in the 2025 biennial A-mu-sing contest held in conjunction with the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics.
(Jan. 2025). “B∈longing“. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 15(1), 376.
(July 2024). “Florence Nightingale”, “Sir Francis Galton”, on page 607 of E. R. Lutken (curator), “Mathematical Graffiti: Bridges 2023 Clerihew Collection”. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 14(2), 602-611 . (also at CAUSEweb)
(2024). “Pedestrian Injury Rates by Age”. Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education
(April 2024). Balderdash, Claptrap, Clerihew: Lesser Takes Another Turn for the Verse [5 clerihew poems: “William Sealy Gosset”, “Sir Ronald Fisher”, “Reverend Thomas Bayes”, “William Playfair”, and “Jerome Cornfield”]. Amstat News, no. 562, p. 7. (also on ASA blogpost and CAUSEweb)
(Winter 2024; 2/14/24). “E(X)“. Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 15(1), 30.
(Autumn 2023). “With statistical means, she writes.” Consilience [world’s first peer-reviewed science poetry and art journal], no. 14
(July 2023). “COOKIE(X) = 1/2.” Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 13(2), 513-514.
(June 19, 2023). “Unexpected Expected Value Haiku” (p. 71), “Matched Pairs” (p. 72), “Permutation” (p. 72), “Convergence” (p. 72). In Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology, Tessellations Publishing, Phoenix, Arizona. [Glaz reprised “Convergence” in the 2024 Bridges Proceedings]
(May 2023). “Type Two”. Honorable Mention in 2023 biennial A-mu-sing competition sponsored by the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education.
(Jan. 2023). “won over“, in poetry folder of Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 13(1), 295. (republished at CAUSEweb)
(winter 2023). “The Ellipse”. Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 14(1), 27.
(Jan. 2022). “Fib(ula)” and “The Big Fib,” p. 487 of “Poetry in the Glade: Bridges 2021 Fib Collection,” Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 12(1), 467-500.
(July 2021). “The Point of Inflection“, Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 11(2), 490-491. Excerpted 8/3/2020 on JoAnne Growney’s blog; opened episode 7 (10/2/2020) of 2023-2025 Texas Beat Poet Laureate Belinda Subraman’s poetry/art/music video zine GAS, https://youtu.be/ZGwadh-NKxs), and in my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading and selected for the June-July 2022 “Reflections of 2020: A UTEP Community Art Exhibition” curated by Daisy Márquez for UTEP’s Student Engagement & Leadership Center.
(June 2021). haiku septet on expected value (Deal or No Deal; 62% Shooter’s 1-and-1; Exchange Paradox; Negative Expected Value; Expectation in the Balance; Unbiased; The Point), won 2nd-place in poetry category of the 2021 A-mu-sing Contest (also on pp. 71-72 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology (here); “62% Shooter’s 1-and-1 reprinted in 2025 TS paper)
(June 1, 2021). “Lottery Strategy”, “Simpson’s Paradox,” “Significance” [limericks]; Amstat News, no. 528, p. 2 [also on blogpost]. first and third of these reprinted in 2025 TS paper)
(May 12, 2021). “Limaçon Limerick” and “MoMath”, two of the winners in the National Limerick Day contest and reading sponsored by the National Museum of Mathematics
(March 2021). “Factor!al Countdown.” The Mathematical Intelligencer, 43(1), 104. (link)
(April 2021). “Adjusted R Square” and “99.73%” [haiku], Amstat News, no. 526, p. 2 [also on blogpost]. The former was in my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading and reprinted in 2025 TS paper
(Feb. 2021). “Cancel.” Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 12(1), 16-17. https://larrylesser.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CANCEL.pdf. In my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading. Excerpted on 5/24/2021 in math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney.
(Feb. 2021). “Matched Pairs”. CAUSEweb (on pp. 71-72 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology, here) and reprinted in 2025 TS paper)
(Feb. 24, 2020). 2019. Intersections: Poetry with Mathematics (post in math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney)
(Jan. 2020). “Statistical Poetry“. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 10(1), 533-539. Introductory remarks and these 8 poems: Systematic Sample from a Children’s Song. By Design. Stochastic Terrorism. Fail to Reject. Fast Facts. This Function Dysfunction. Multivariate. Worry Lines. [all 8 poems republished at CAUSEweb.org; the first and last of these poems are anthologized on p. 72 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2020 Poetry Anthology; “Multivariate” republished at https://mathhaikuproject.com/, in my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading;” and in 2025 Teaching Statistics paper); Stochastic Terrorism” picked for August 2020 exhibits “One Year Stronger: Remembering August 3” (UTEP) and “El Paso Even Stronger: One Year Later” (EPCC) and in my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading. “Worry Lines” was part of the 2020 Bridges Poetry Reading (and 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings reading), as was “Systematic Sample from a Children’s Song“.
(Jan. 2020). “ASA Day”. 1st place (non-student category) in ASA Day Haiku Contest (see p. 2 of Jan. 2020 Amstat News no. 511 or associated blogpost); republished at https://mathhaikuproject.com/
(Dec. 2019). “Vertical”, The Mathematical Intelligencer, 41(4), 60. [part of a reading at 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings and Bridges 2020 poetry reading]
(summer 2019). “Di/vision“, Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 10(1), 16. [anthologized on p. 71 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2020 Poetry Anthology; included in the opening minutes of episode 7 (10/2/2020) of Belinda Subraman’s poetry/art/music video zine GAS, https://youtu.be/ZGwadh-NKxs; part of a reading at the 2020 Joint Mathematics Meetings and the Bridges 2020 poetry reading; selected by Albuquerque Poet Laureate Mary Oishi for inclusion in the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts ‘Big Read’ event hosted March 15, 2021 by the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library: https://www.las-cruces.org/2417/Big-Read-2021, (go to the 3:20 mark of the March 15 event at https://www.las-cruces.org/2425/Week-4-Healing-Remembrance-and-Return or https://www.facebook.com/BraniganLibrary/videos/915809659168987/ ). Poem was a Finalist in the 2018 Desert Exposure Writing Contest.
(June 2018). “Snowflake“. The Mathematical Intelligencer, 40(2), 81. Republished 2/24/2020 at Intersections: Poetry with Mathematics (math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney).
(April 2018). “Mindful Means”. Amstat News, no. 490, p. 2. Republished 5/8/18 in math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney.
(Jan. 2018). haiku trio on p. 456 of “Math in Seventeen Syllables: A Folder of Mathematical Haiku”, Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 8(1), 441-472: “3/14/15” [announced 4/8/15 on Math Matters at Taylor and Francis social media as a winner of the 2015 Pi Day (of the Century) haiku contest],” 17″, and “Transformed”. republished at https://mathhaikuproject.com/ and the latter was in my part of the 2021 Bridges Poetry Reading.
(Dec. 2017). “A Fallacy Not Assessed by Kahneman and Tversky.” The Mathematical Intelligencer, 39(4), 66.
(Nov. 2017). “Test for Normality”. Radical Statistics, no. 118, pp. 34-35.
(Oct. 2017). “Di(a)meter”. Texas Mathematics Teacher, 63(2), 14, 31 [poem and accompanying classroom Q&A]. [anthologized on p. 60 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2018 Poetry Anthology]
(April 2017). “Permutation”. CAUSEweb (also anthologized on pp. 71-72 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2023 Poetry Anthology, here)
(April 2017). “Rhyming without replacement”. CAUSEweb
(Jan. 2017). “Moving Between Inner and Outer Worlds”. J. of Humanistic Mathematics, 7(1), 275-284. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol7/iss1/21/ Introductory remarks and these 10 poems: Discovery. Business Statistics. Julia [republished 3/16/17 at Intersections: Poetry with Mathematics (math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney]. L’Hospital. The Zero. Availability Heuristic [republished Feb. 2017 by CAUSE]. Polymath Aftermath. P(A|A) = 1 [adapted and republished Feb. 2017 for CAUSEweb]. The Algebra Teacher Writes In Verse. Triangle.
(Dec. 2016). “Chi-ku“. CAUSEweb and https://mathhaikuproject.com/
(Spring 2016). “Margins”. Talking Writing. [anthologized in Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2016 Poetry Anthology (p. 62). Phoenix, AZ: Tessellations Publishing.]
(2013; 2021). “Very Able to Know Each Variable”. CAUSEweb
(Jan. 2013). “Poetic Reactions”. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 3(1), 156-161. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol3/iss1/13/ Postscript and these 3 poems: Dogs Know [read near the end of 4/13/13 interview on regional NPR station; anthologized in Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2016 Poetry Anthology (p. 61). Phoenix, AZ: Tessellations Publishing, noted in a 2017 JMA review of this anthology, reprised in a 2019 blogpost, and cited in a 2020 blogpost]; 50-50; (A student comes to terms with) the ‘M word’ [republished 3/31/18 on Samuel Hansen’s podcast Relatively Prime (Diegetic Plots, Chapter 3)]
(Winter 2010). “Confounded” The Mathematical Intelligencer, 32(4), 53. [republished p. 121 of fall 2019 Teaching Statistics]
(Nov. 2010). “Opening Intentions” [“May the door of this classroom….”], The Teaching Professor, 24(9), 4. [republished by Faculty Focus 6/27/14, 8/9/18, etc.]
(2009). “Denominator.” Journal of the Association of Mexican American Educators, 3(1), 60-61.
(2008). “Statistic Acrostic” [co-written with Dennis Pearl]; republished in 2014 in Intersections: Poetry with Mathematics (math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney)
10 visual mathematics poems:
(2024). “Levels of MEANing”. 16” x 20” print from image-editing software in the Aug. 1-4 Bridges 2024 Exhibition of Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design (curated by Robert Fathauer and Bruce Torrence with jurors Rachel Quinlan and Richard Hammack). Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. https://gallery.bridgesmathart.org/exhibitions/bridges-2024-exhibition-of-mathematical-art. Appears as p. 79 of Bruce Torrence, Robert Fathauer, Conan Chadbourne, and Nathan Selikoff (Eds.), Bridges Richmond 2024 Exhibition Catalog: Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design, 150 pp. Also appears in CAUSEweb Art Gallery.
(2021). “Cantor’s Ternary Palindrome”, pp. 42-43 of Poetrishy #1 published by Small Press and SuSy Research. [also appeared Nov. 20, 2017 entry in the Mathematical Poetry blog edited by Kaz Maslanka, and anthologized on p. 59 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2018 Poetry Anthology]
(July 2021). “Mixed Messages About Pandemic Yield Conspiracy.” Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 11(2), 490-491. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol11/iss2/30/
(spring/summer 2021). “You Are Overdoin’ If You Cancel Everything“. Texas Mathematics Teacher, 67(1), 20.
(fall/winter 2020). “Cardinality”. Texas Mathematics Teacher, 66(2), 30.
(fall/winter 2019). Unit Circle Words Lesson. Visual poem (with questions and answers). Texas Mathematics Teacher, 65(2), 15, 22. [extended from Lesser’s Mathematical Poetry post]
(May 1, 2018). “Variation”. Mathematical Poetry (blog edited by Kaz Maslanka)
(Feb. 8, 2018). “Gender Identity”. Mathematical Poetry (blog edited by Kaz Maslanka)
(Sept. 2017). “New Normal”. Radical Statistics, no. 117, poem on the cover [accompanied by the reflection “New Normal?” on pp. 31-33]; poem reprised on cover of issue 118 as well
(Sept. 17, 2017). “Forebear Square” Mathematical Poetry (blog edited by Kaz Maslanka): [anthologized on p. 59 of Sarah Glaz (Ed.), Bridges 2018 Poetry Anthology]. On October 23, 2020, “Number Trapezoid” was added to the blog page.
(Aug. 4, 2017). “MEANings”. Mathematical Poetry (blog edited by Kaz Maslanka): [republished 7/9/18 on Intersections: Poetry with Mathematics (math poetry blog edited by JoAnne Growney); republished in summer 2019 CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly, 66 (3), 242.]
[note : Lesser’s poetry has also informed his published, award-winning songwriting and some of his 100+ published math/statistics lyrics have poetic features (such as https://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss19/13/ or https://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss19/9/ or https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol2/iss1/9/) and he has a widely-read 2014 article on lyrics in the special poetry focus issue of Journal of Mathematics and the Arts]
26 non-STEM poems
(2026, January 21). “Down Under.” In R. Menachem Creditor (Ed.), We Will Prevail: Jewish Responses to Bondi Beach (p. 121). Global anthology available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHYD65D3, ISBN 979-8241881496
(2025, Sept.). Yahrtzeit 2023. Desert Exposure, 30(9), 25.
(2025, Feb. 12). Our Lot, pp. 82-83 of [AJR Dean] Dr. Ora Horn Prouser and Rabbi Menachem Creditor (Eds.), An Upside-Down World: Esther and Antisemitism, Academy for Jewish Religion. ISBN 979-8309609734. Available via AJR or Amazon. Book was featured in a webinar and national media.
(2024, Aug. 28). “Weatherman Dan” published in online gallery hosted by Poets for Science and Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center
(2024, Aug. 21). “Al Chet” [for the sin we have committed], p. 81 of [AJR Dean] Dr. Ora Horn Prouser and Rabbi Menachem Creditor (Eds.), These Holy Days: A High Holiday Supplement after October 7, Academy for Jewish Religion. ISBN 979-8335810906. Available via AJR or Amazon, where it reached #1 on New Releases in its Ritual Religious Practices, Jewish Holidays, and Jewish Prayerbooks categories. Book was featured in a webinar as well as local and international articles).
(2024, Aug. 12). “Same Boat” published in online gallery hosted by Poets for Science and Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center
(2023, Nov. 2). “I can’t believe you didn’t know“. In Alex Ureño (Ed.), Chrysalis (p. 41). El Paso Community College, El Paso, TX.
(2023, Sept. 14). “Break”. In Belinda Subraman (Ed.), Border Beats: Writing Across Boundaries (pp. 127-128). Border Beat Books. ISBN 979-8861436410. [this poem is also the lyric of a song that has been performed at the Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall and at a book release event organized by (Texas Beat Poet Laureate) Subraman]
(2021, Dec.). “Hanukiah Haiku”. 3rd-place in contest sponsored by The Mussar Institute.
(2021, March). “One-Way Train”. [selected by Albuquerque Poet Laureate Mary Oishi for 2021 National Endowment for the Arts ‘Big Read’ event hosted 3/15/2021 by Thomas Branigan Memorial Library; go to the 3:20 mark of https://www.las-cruces.org/2425/Week-4-Healing-Remembrance-and-Return or https://www.facebook.com/BraniganLibrary/videos/915809659168987/; it’s also the lyric of a song on the 2020 album Sparks]
(2020, Dec.). “Passover Hangover.” http://www.mywordwizard.com/passover-hangover.html
(2019, Dec.). “The Situation.” In Michal Mahgerefteh & David King (Eds.), 2019 Mizmor Poetry Anthology, p. 34. Norfolk, VA: Poetica Publishing. (video reading)
(Summer 2014). “Sweet”. Poetica Magazine: Contemporary Jewish Writing, pp. 42-43.
(Fall 2013). “Hypothesis”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 19, pp. 66-67.
(Summer 2012). “Last Supper.” BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 18, p. 38.
(May 2012). “Learning”. Drash: Northwest Mosaic, 6, pp. 64-65.
(Fall 2010). “Test.” Río Grande Review: A Bilingual Journal of Contemporary Literature and Arts, No. 36, 89-90.
(July 2010). “Logic”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 16, p. 21
(Summer 2008). “Arrangement”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 14, pp. 103-104.
(Summer 2007). “Leaving White’s City”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 13, pp. 80-81.
(Spring 2006). “Wheel”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine, No. 11, pp. 34-35.
(Fall 2005). “Burp”. BorderSenses Literary Magazine [a 2-nation, 11-state journal], No. 10, 81-82.
(2005). “Shrink Rap”. The Ink Spot: Highlights of the Ink Poetry Contest 2005, p. 18. Las Cruces, NM: The Ink. 3rd-place award.
(2005). “Something to Remember”. The Ink Spot: Highlights of the Ink Poetry Contest 2005, p. 26. Las Cruces, NM: The Ink.
(April 1986). “When in Rome”. The University Blue: The Literary Magazine of Rice University, vol. 3 (p. 29). Houston: Rice University.