Emma Sims is a queer, deaf, bioinformatics PhD student, originally from Nottingham, who dabbles in poetry during her free time. Usually she can be found nose deep in mathematical rabbit holes, or programming fun projects like an ENIGMA machine simulator. A relatively new poet on the scene, recently published in the Nightingale and Sparrow issue 5, with an upcoming feature in Kanstellation regarding data science.

Of her motivation behind the poem ‘Bees’, Emma says…

‘One thing highlighted over the past decade about human behaviour is their affinity for social media and how people begin to act as a hive mind against ideologies that either challenge or threaten their cultural norms. With bees, their response time to threats such as hornets is paramount as, if given enough time, hornets will release pheromones which call for reinforcements that ultimately result in the decimation of their home. The bees, by working together, eliminate the lone predator before it can cause any harm, returning the hive to its normal functioning state; humans exhibit a similar behaviour where they isolate and pressure individuals to change their views before they cause friction within their community.’

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