Let's Be Friends: Dr. Rita Mookerjee
Let's Be Friends is an interview series with people who inspire me to log off
Feeling fatigued by the barrage of people trying to be someone online? Me too (though, I totally fall under that category). Welcome to Let’s Be Friends: a series of interviews with people whose jobs, interests, and stories give them unfiltered, IRL allure.
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I spent much of my youth trying to make myself palatable. My peers, the children of conservative doctors and insurance agents and chemical engineers, were walking L.L. Bean ads with Penn State dreams. No one shook me. But Rita was a glitch in the system—a sharp tongue and a jewel-toned aura that refracted off everything like stained glass. We met through our then boyfriends and sitting across from her at Applebee’s, age 16, I couldn’t fathom we were from the same area, let alone planet. When Rita agreed to this interview, I squealed! So close the blinds, pour yourself something dark and cozy (11 AM is as good a time as any), and get lost in the magic of Rita.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Age: 31
Location: Deep in the Corn, Iowa
I don’t love the obvious, “So, what do you do?” Give us a rundown of what occupies your time, gives you meaning, and how you got there:
When I am not editing my journal, Honey Literary or working on poetry at Split Lip Magazine as the Assistant Editor, I am an Assistant Teaching Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Iowa State University. While I have dabbled in a lot of performing arts, I've been committed to writing since I was a small child. I can't fathom writing full-time; I don't think people in our generation tend to have a single occupation. That's not something we were afforded, especially where we are from.
What song defines the soundtrack to a day in your life?:
A lot of the soundtrack is unironic bossa nova filtering into my writing and editing time. I also love the sounds of rain. You can tell I am deep in a project if Rainymood.com is blasting with bossa nova on top. Because I worked remotely for all of the pandemic, I've been pretty firm about stepping away from writing, emails, and grading at 5:00, which is when I start cooking and the jungle beats and dancehall come on. I have been watching Lil Nas X videos a lot; I'm so proud of him. For evening, I love Sufi flute or traditional bhajans.
I've long admired your writing and fearless approach to work and life. What inspires you creatively?:
A lot of women writers like Toni Morrison have remarked on how you have to write the things you want to read. That frustrates and excites me. I keep a note in my phone of crazy ideas I get. I'll read you one: "Dorothy and I turn into snakes and eat people we don't like." Dorothy is my co-founder at Honey and one of my closest friends. She and I get really fed up with how dull the literary world is and how arrogant men are. That irritation is only compounded by all the influencer/BookTok types who feel really compelled to tell you lots and lots about stuff they know very little about. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing young creatives trying new things, but I am an expert on some stuff. A literal expert! So sometimes, the confidence of a teenager denouncing a theory of economics or decoloniality that they've never read bugs me. I'd like to say to them, "You're not an anarcho-communist, you're just going through puberty. It's okay."
We've been forced to be fearless as millennials. Specifically, I think I had to be fearless because you know what it is like in NEPA... if you stand out, you stand out in a big way. People stare. I decided to own it. So much of my creativity comes from a desire to heal from past trauma. Still, I try hard not to romanticize struggle and remind my students that we can also find inspiration in our joy. Art and literature doesn't need to be all-gloom-all-the-time.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?:
I don't enjoy theme parks. Generally, I like risks and risky situations, but I get motion sickness easily, so roller coasters are a hard no.
Pandemic-related or not, what’s a realization you’ve had in the past year that’s impacted your outlook on life?
This is very obvious, but I always feel pressure to monetize my hobbies. In a related myth, I also felt like a certain salary would correspond to my happiness. Now I've been making an effort to center my joy and do things just because they make me happy. Previously, work came first, but that's no way to live.
Let’s talk beverages. How do you take your coffee and what’s your chosen boozy nightcap?:
This is a piercing question. I found that caffeine worsens my anxiety, so I gave up coffee a few years ago. I didn't start taking anything for anxiety until well into my PhD; previously, I just assumed I was weird and incurable. Turns out I have a highly manageable mental illness—go figure. When I sneak a rare espresso, I love it black with a little lemon wedge. My friend Christina got me a crystal decanter I love. It's got scotch in it right now, so that's been my go to. I like it neat with 1-3 drops of water. I'm an old-fashioned queen. I keep it simple.
Paint us a picture of a scenario that makes you feel alive:
Oh wow, probably a TED Talk + rap battle + poetry reading hybrid. The pandemic has been tough because I haven't been lecturing or doing live speaking engagements. I love to perform, and I love public speaking, especially when it means I get to collaborate.
Three qualities you seek in a partner: Worldliness, willingness to let me make decisions, and a great sense of taste. Picky eating is not compatible with my lifestyle or hobbies. Unlike many, I am extremely decisive. I like it when people let me call the shots.
What makes you feel sexy?: Since 2002 or so, I've collected perfumes. Today I've sold a lot of my collection, but I still love scents and when others notice them, too. I love it when someone I am talking to compliments me on my perfume. Today it is a vintage bottle: L by Lolita Lempicka.
What color best represents all that is Rita Mookerjee and why?:
Probably that iridescent black you see in feathers and oil slicks. People (especially my students) say I can be intimidating. I can be very serious and severe. But I am also a goofball who doesn't take herself that seriously. It all depends on how you approach me; I only show my happy rainbow side to people who earn it.
What’s the last thing you read that really impacted you? (book, article, poem, quote, lyric, tweet, etc.):
I listened to Chanel Miller's narration of Know My Name. We all know her story, but to hear her tell it firsthand is brutal. She doesn't use lofty metaphors or scaffold a whole lot; she doesn't remember what happened and therein lies the pain: how do you tell your story when the media has already passed judgement on you? How do you defend yourself when your attacker is hailed as a young athlete with a future and potential, and you're merely some drunk girl? Her voice is a little shy, you can tell she is an artsy introvert. For her to come forward not just for herself, but for everyone who has endured trauma and survived is so very necessary. I do what I do to honor and uplift people like Chanel.
Your bathroom's on fire and you can only save five skincare products. What are they?:
In 2020, I converted to the Holy Order of Biologique Recherche, and I am never going back. I order it all from a spa in Philly since you cannot buy it in U.S. stores. I am truly your kin: broke, but moisturized.
I gotta have my P50 1970 exfoliator, nothing else comes close. Then I'd save the Oligo Proteines Marine and Elastine Serums, respectively. I'm loving the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Serum for night; AHA is awesome for skin cell turnover so anything scaly or dry is gone when you wake up. Finally, I'd save my Coola SPF drops. It is the only facial SPF I've ever worn that didn't give me a hideous violet-white cast.
Anything else we should know?:
I am so proud of us for our phenomenal glow up and also for remembering where we come from. Cheers!
Follow Rita on Instagram @melanincholia.
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