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Sailing into the Sublime

Exploring the Arctic Through Poetry: A Conversation with Daryl Farmer

For many writers, inspiration comes in waves—sometimes gentle, sometimes overwhelming. For Daryl Farmer, professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of ����ӰƬ Fairbanks, it came in the form of towering glaciers, an abandoned trapper’s cabin, and the camaraderie of artists aboard a sailing vessel navigating the Arctic waters of Svalbard, Norway.

Farmer reflected on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, his creative process, and the ways the Arctic landscape shaped his writing and perspective on the environment. One poem in particular, Skansbukta, Spitsbergen, emerged from his time there, capturing the essence of his journey and the transformative power of the Arctic landscape.

A Transformative Residency

Farmer describes his time in Svalbard as “magical,” not only because of the breathtaking surroundings but also due to the deep sense of connection he formed with fellow artists. Each morning, he followed a routine that set the tone for his creative work—reading five poems by Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer before writing poetry of his own. This practice, which he carried on after returning home, ultimately led to Skansbukta, Spitsbergen.

One of the most striking locations was Skansbukta, a remote bay where he found himself contemplating the passage of time. The old abandoned trapper’s cabin and a weathered boat left behind spoke to a history of human presence in the otherwise vast, untouched wilderness. “The residency was coming to an end, and I reflected on how transformative it had been,” Farmer said. “I tried to capture that feeling in the poem. I think the poem in some way is a nod to Keats and other Romantic poets, who often associated nature with the sublime.”

Life at Sea and the Creative Mind

Though Farmer is no stranger to extreme environments, living in ����ӰƬ, he wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when embarking on this journey. However, his experience in cold climates gave him an advantage—he knew how to dress for the weather without over-preparing. Living conditions on the Antigua, the sailing vessel that carried the artists through Arctic waters, were compact but comfortable. Farmer quickly realized how strong the group dynamic was. “It was such a great group, with a sense of shared experience, a lot of great conversation,” he recalled. “But also respect for each other’s space.”

One of the most striking aspects of the residency was being completely disconnected from the digital world. Without internet access, there were no emails, no news updates, and no distractions pulling attention away from the moment. “This profoundly opened up a creative mental space and made me realize how much of that space is used up by the digital world,” Farmer reflected. In that solitude, the Arctic landscape took on an even greater significance, its quiet immensity filling the space that digital noise often occupies.

But nature was never far from reminding the group of its power. During one of their shore landings, they had to turn back almost immediately due to a polar bear’s presence. The Arctic, though breathtaking, was never to be underestimated.

The eclectic group of artists aboard the Antigua also played a crucial role in shaping the residency’s creative energy. Painters, filmmakers, sound artists, and writers all worked alongside one another, exchanging ideas and perspectives. Nearly every night, a few participants gave presentations about their work, leading to deep discussions about the creative process. “I think my process and perspective was largely influenced by the other artists, the shared experience, and the discussions about creative process, both formal and informal,” Farmer said.

Art, Nature, and Environmental Reflection

The Arctic didn’t just serve as a backdrop—it changed the way Farmer thought about place and environmental themes in his work. “I don’t know that it challenged my work so much as deepened it. It gave me a whole new perspective on the Arctic. I’m not someone who has spent a lot of time on or near the ocean, so that aspect was very new for me. Not just the interaction of land, water, ice, and glacier, or of the sea life, but also of boat culture, and just the mechanics and sailing aspects of the Antigua.”

A visit to the Svalbard Museum provided even more inspiration, offering historical and scientific perspectives that he later wove into his writing. The exhibits on Arctic exploration and whaling culture provided historical context that he found fascinating, and he has since drawn on elements of this history in his work. Perhaps the most striking realization came from witnessing climate change firsthand. The reality of melting glaciers had a profound emotional impact on him. “This wasn’t new information to me, but my emotional reaction to it surprised me. And I think any experience that expands my understanding of the earth as a living breathing planet deepens how I write about it.”

What struck him most was the undeniable evidence of climate change, particularly the glaciers. “I think the realities of climate change and the sense of eco-grief were very present, particularly with the glaciers. This wasn’t new information to me, but my emotional reaction to it surprised me. And I think any experience that expands my understanding of the earth as a living breathing planet deepens how I write about it.”

Both Skansbukta, Spitsbergen and Sangre de Cristos appear in Split Rock Review’s Spring 2023 Issue, Volume 20. While Skansbukta, Spitsbergen captures the vastness and introspection of his Arctic experience, Sangre de Cristos reflects another aspect of Farmer’s connection to landscape, inspired by the rugged mountain range of the same name. Each poem, though set in vastly different environments, explores themes of solitude, nature’s power, and human reflection. Farmer’s work fits seamlessly into Split Rock Review, a nonprofit literary journal focused on place, environment, and the human connection to nature.

UAF’s Creative Writing Program

At UAF, Farmer leads the Creative Writing Program, where MFA and undergraduate ����ӰƬ immerse themselves in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The program thrives in an environment that blends the untamed landscapes of ����ӰƬ with rigorous literary study, offering ����ӰƬ opportunities to engage deeply with place-based writing and storytelling.