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The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes
The Rest of Us podcast explores rest as self-liberation for advocates and professionals who are losing themselves to the demands of work, loved ones, friends, strangers, and this dizzying world. The Rest of Us cultivates a community through honest reflections, conversations, and laughter for people willing to embrace rest differently.
The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes
Poetic Interlude - Remica Bingham-Risher reading "In My Best Dreams They Are On the Water"
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How do you let stillness into your body as we live in an infinitely difficult world? In this Poetic Interlude, Remica Bingham-Risher shares her poem "In My Best Dreams They Are On The Water" (from her latest poetry collection, Room Swept Home).
Creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Remica Bingham-Risher and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.
ABOUT REMICA BINGHAM RISHER
REMICA BINGHAM-RISHER is a Cave Canem fellow and faculty member, an Affrilachian Poet, and a member of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective. She is the author of Conversion, What We Ask of Flesh, and Starlight & Error. Her memoir, Soul Culture: Black Poets, Books and Questions That Grew Me Up, was published by Beacon Press.
Her newest book, Room Swept Home, was chosen as an Honor Poetry Book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and won the L.A. Times Book Prize. She is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and Engagement at Old Dominion University.
New Book Announcement: In April, Remica announced her forthcoming book DEVOTION: Toni Morrison’s Black Dreaming and Our Infinite Love (Beacon Press), a hybrid essay collection.
Visit Remica at remicabinghamrisher.com.
Order Room Swept Home.
Say “hello” to Remica on Instagram @remicawriter.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Remica's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.
PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
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Until next time, rest, my friends.
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Welcome to the Poetic Interlude as part of the Rest of Us podcast. Each poetic interlude holds space to remind us that creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truth, not fear, in this present moment, which we in the Rest of Us community view as a deep connection to one's agency. Our definition of rest. Let's settle in. Welcome, my friends. I am your host, Dana Tanil Weeks. In this poetic interlude, poet Ramika Binghamrischer reads, In my best dreams, they are on the water. From her most recent poetry book, Room Swept Room. I absolutely love this book. It stays on my coffee table, and is published by Wesleyan Press. Ramika Binghamrischer is a Kave Conum Fellow and faculty member, an Afroatian poet, and a member of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective. Her newest book, Room Swept Room, was chosen as an honor poetry book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and won, congratulations, won the LA Times Book Prize. She is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence and Engagement at Old Dominion University. And it was just announced, just announced, I was so excited for Ramika, that she has a new book coming out, hopefully soon, titled Devotion, Tony Morrison's Black Dreaming and Our Infinite Love, a hybrid essay collection published by Beacon Press. Want to learn more about Ramika? Visit her website at www.remekabinghamrisher.com, which is R-E-M-I-C-A B-I-N as a Nancy G H A M as a Mary R I S H E R. Again, that's Ramekinghamrisher.com and say hello to Ramika on Instagram at Ramika Writer. You can also visit the Restofus Podcast.com to read Ramika's poem and reflection questions along with other poets in the poetic interlude community. Let's settle in.
SPEAKER_01Nothing can touch you. You listen to the rustling of leaves, the constant song of red birds and jays, the concert orchestrated beneath you. Breathing at the surface, small things unseen create the ripples and circles that let you be. As you are patient and skillful, you've made allure and cast it carefully. A pretty fish. A shining, writhing wonder will appear. If it is willful, you'll bear down and hold the mind. Your arms full of power, used to carrying jars of lard, bags of flour, children well and unwell, even grown others who must be lifted into a bed, an afterlife. The fish gather near the eddies, around fallen trees, a respite from the weight of water. In my dreams, you are still someone's daughter. She calls to you of vitruly. When you leave the river and enter the house, the children are grateful you've arrived. They are alive and will be well fed. You got the fish. Remove its scales, dip it in buttermilk and corn meal, fry it in hot grease. There is strawberry pie and cola. Every plate is full. Ain't no politician save you. Ain't no man make or break you. You are here in every bounty. I hope you rest. I'll wait at the edge. I'll pray for low tide and abundance. When you come, he'll show me how to let the stillness into my body to grow into myself What to throw back into the everlasting when to lift my skirt and splash onto the shore when to mix salt with salt and sun with sun when to become another part of the earthless a corridor. As you receive this poem, settle into this reflection. You can think in silence, dreaming, free write, draw, even maybe start crafting a poem of your own. My grandmothers, Mary and Minnie endured extraordinary circumstances and otherwise ordinary lives. They both lived to eighty-four. Room swept home with a book of poems and photographs illuminating their lives. I hope these poems could offer them what they never had enough of praise and rest. As you sit with my poem, I offer two reflection questions. How do you make space to praise others who inspire you? A couplet in the poem reads I'll pray for low tide and abundance. When you come, you'll show me how to let the stillness into my body to grow into myself. How do you let stillness into your body as we live in an infinitely difficult world?
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to this poetic interlude. Remember, we are all creatives, whether we believe it or not. And creativity itself is a source for what we in the rest of us community call liberatory rest. Want to listen to more poetic interludes? Visit therestofuspodcast.com or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next time, rest, my friends.