I Wander, I Wander
Robin Reid Drake
March 12, 2024
The workshop asks poets to wonder about wandering and go for a stroll.
Source Material:
- Evening Constitutional by Rita Dove
Prompt:
After reading Rita Dove’s “Evening Constitutional,” go for a stroll, or a roll or a ride or anything you can do to let your body wander for a bit— unburdened by any particular destination or appointment. Give yourself a time limit if you like. Definitely be safe while wandering, bring a friend if you need and be aware of your surroundings. But most importantly, go slowly and try to remain quiet. (Leave your headphones at home!) What can you notice while wandering? What comes up when you give yourself a break from the constant chatter of our world— not by removing yourself from it but by going out into it? After your wandering, settle down somewhere and come back to the page. What is waiting for you there?
Robin Reid Drake
Robin Reid Drake (she/they) is a Chicago (Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Bodéwadmiakiwen & Myaamia lands) based writer, artist and educator originally from Greensboro, North Carolina (Eno, Sappony & Shakori lands). White, trans & queer, Drake is passionate about combining abolitionist somatics, creative practice and popular education to heal lines of violence in herself and her communities. She holds an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a BA in writing from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and certification in meditation & mindfulness instruction from MNDFL Studio in New York City. Drake’s written work can be found in DREGINALD, Palimpsest, WUSSY, Understory Quarterly, and Foglifter Press’ Home Is Where You Queer the Heart, among others.