Monday Monologues were officially back for the spring semester with special guest Rita Mookerjee, assistant teaching professor in women’s and gender studies.

After months of waiting patiently when COVID-19 cut their lineups short, Parks Library has been able to bring Monday Monologues back virtually.

The series showcases Iowa State student and faculty voices, with this being the first of six performances.

Mookerjee was the special guest spotlighted in the first monologue and some of her topics included a tropical island, breakups and even mothers.

“When Rita Mookerjee performed in person during October 2019 she commanded the live audience’s attention with her sense of humor and sharp observations,” Susan Gent, community engagement specialist, said. 

She shared a series of poems from her newest manuscript called “False Offering and Other Oddities.”

“After working with Rita on a virtual event for Ames Pride last summer, I knew that she would engage the audience with her personal flair,” Gent said.

The names of poems shared by Mookerjee:

“Swan’s Wing Mudra”

“Shrine”

“Tanka Trip for the Drought’s End”

“Elegy in August Town”

“I Cancel Your Plane Tickets”

“To Protect Your Children”

“Banana Heart”

“First Day as a Ghost”

“False Offering”

“For this reading, I wanted to take us out of the monotony of days spent inside,” Mookerjee said. “Fruits, hot weather and strange objects crop up a lot in these pieces. I also wanted to include some poems about my time in Jamaica in honor of Black History Month.”

Some of Mookerjee’s poetry is featured in Hobart Pulp, The Offing, Juked, New Orleans Review and the Baltimore Review.

The Monday Monologue was livestreamed on the library YouTube channel and can be viewed after the livestream has ended.

The next Monday Monologue will be livestreamed March 1 with special guest Jennifer Knox, who will read from her recent collection, “Crushing It.”