Benjamin Burke

writing, design + creative strategy FOR SCIENCE, ARTS + COMMUNITIES

APPLIED POETICS FOR HIRE

I help individuals and institutions find their voice and use it.  If you’re launching a new initiative or re-engineering an old one, presenting research findings or fine-tuning an abstract, building a community or just trying to figure out what it is you should do next, I can help.  I call my approach Applied Poetics because the people I serve are usually in need of achieving resonance — for their cause, for their discovery, or just for their life. This means that eventually my work will need to find its way into some nuanced place, some stoned left unturned, some way to expand upon or summarize an idea, ethos or technicality that feels obvious when you say it, but took a while to find. To me, this feels like the way a poem gets written. And the things my clients and I end up talking about as we work together tend to be the kinds of things that poems are made of — lessons learned about how to make life simpler, better in some way, even if it’s just this one thing. If you’re looking for some clarity and resonance in your work or your life, write me and tell me your story. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area but travel extensively for work, conferences and projects, so we can chat and work together online or meet up when I’m in your part of the world.

the science of translating science

I have a great love and appreciation for scientific research and its practitioners — for the rational, procedural methodologies employed, the humility found in the face of the great unknown and the driving curiosity that compels one to explore it. I help conservationists raise awareness, researchers find the story in their findings, and ecologists convey their understanding of our world and its systems. This work is necessarily centered on climate change. It is critical that citizens and policy makers alike grasp the gravity and urgency of our current situation. It’s equally important to provide them with a wellspring from which to draw inspiration as we work to preserve a livable future for all on this planet. If you’re a scientist or academic looking to balance these two directives as you translate your work for presentation or fundraising purposes, I can help you find the language, design and approach that makes it resonate with your intended audience or the public at large.

COMMUNITY BUILT BETTER

Community is about bringing people together on some land with intention.  From there, it’s up to you to decide what exactly that wants to look like and what it needs to do. Establishing the right foundation is paramount — mindfully architecting both the physical and cultural groundwork of your project at the outset. I can help you establish an appropriate foundation as we expand upon and fine tune your vision, charting a path from conception to launch to sustainability. We’ll get all your necessary communications down on paper and up online, craft media packages and presentations for potential donors and collaborators, and set the tone with the right voice and story for the particular brand of community you’re looking to build. Finally, we’ll lay out what construction materials, techniques and approaches are best suited to the geography, mission and ethos of the project. A lifetime spent living in and working with a wide variety of intentional communities — from pioneering living developments to experimental community arts expeditions — makes me uniquely adept at creating and sustaining unique communities.

I grew up in Village Homes, a renowned living development in Davis, CA centered on ecological sustainability and fostering community — one of the first of its kind. Incorporating earth homes, solar power, communal gardens, an education center, a recreation center, and shared green spaces, Village Homes proves that progressive, alternative living development projects can sustainably thrive alongside traditional models in an urban environment.  Later in life, I helped to preserve and reimagine Shadetree — a community of 30 artists and tradesfolk on the Oakland waterfront which naturally formed over 40 years after its inception in 1979.  This work helped to build bridges between city building inspectors, developers and creative spaces throughout the Bay Area. I’ve also helped to launch community building enterprises abroad. Currently, I continue to help conceive, launch and shepherd Dhun, a novel humanist living development project in Rajasthan, India, which began with a massive ecological regeneration campaign and is now building its first residencies rooted in traditional construction techniques and wisdom and cultural preservation.  Centered on the arts, reconnection with nature, and collectivist ideals, Dhun marries the best that humanity has to offer — across cultures and across time — in order to actively demonstrate what is possible when people come together to build their own home, on their own land, in their own way.

WHEN PROFESSIONAL BECOMES PERSONAL

Regardless of your vocation or vision, a session with me will inherently involve a bit of therapy.  As we rewrite your bio, we talk through your life goals and iron out your list of accomplishments.  As we architect your website, we determine custom methods for you to stay organized daily.  We fine tune the language you use across platforms so that it reflects the way you choose to move through the world.  As we write each of these components, a plan forms.  Your path to the next stage of your life becomes clear.  And fun.  This is all supposed to be fun.  Transformation can be difficult at times, but ultimately, it’s meant to be appreciated and enjoyed.  Like a good book.