Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson - Episode 39: Derik Smith

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.
In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.
In this episode, I'm at my home in LA with Derik Smith, a professor in the Department of Literature at Claremont McKenna College in California, and his work focuses on African American literary culture, with a particular interest in poetry. We talk about African American poet and Baha'i, Robert Hayden, plus we look at the concept of black people being likened to the "pupil of the eye" in the Baha'i Writings. We also discuss racism, the prison system, constructive resilience, and the role each one of us can play in ensuring individual and social transformation and justice. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
Dr. Smith also teaches and writes about representations of blackness in American film and musical culture. His 2018 monograph, 'Robert Hayden In Verse: New Histories of African American Poetry and the Black Arts Era', recently won the College Language Association's annual book award. His current scholarship focuses on the poetics of rap, and the rise of the genre during the final decades of the twentieth century, as well as the connection between critical race studies and the Baha’i Faith. Smith regularly teaches courses in American prisons and nurtures activist interests in prison studies and pedagogy. He and his family live in Southern California, USA.
To find out more about Derik Smith and some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links:
Read Derek's essay 'Centering the “Pupil of the Eye”: Blackness, Modernity, and the Revelation of Baha’u’llah' (bit.ly/35aHafr) found in The Journal of Baha'i Studies (bit.ly/35cS1pe), Volume 29, Number 1 Spring-Summer 2019.
We discuss the following quote: "Thou art like unto the pupil of the eye which is dark in color, yet it is the fount of light and the revealer of the contingent world". -Abdu’l-Baha
We mention the following books:
i. 'Robert Hayden in Verse: New Histories of African American Poetry and the Black Arts Era' by Derik Smith: amzn.to/378YZxt
ii. 'The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan)' by Baha'u'llah: bit.ly/2XpuDT1
iii. 'The Dawn-Breakers' by Nabil-i-Azam: bit.ly/2pqWB40 (Baha'i Blog article: bit.ly/33UM1S0)
iv. 'God Passes By' by Shoghi Effendi: bit.ly/37eIqAf
v. 'The Most Holy Book (Kitab-i-Aqdas)' by Baha'u'llah: bit.ly/33XC5Hk
vi. 'The Advent of Divine Justice' by Shoghi Effendi: bit.ly/340xgwM
vii. 'Tablets of Baha'u'llah' by Baha'u'llah: bit.ly/37pdsFI
viii. 'The Writings and Talks of Abdu'l-Baha' by Abdu'l-Baha: bit.ly/2r0LAHe
Learn more about Robert Hayden here on Wikipedia: bit.ly/2psQ8FT
A collection of poems by Robert Hayden here on Amazon.com: amzn.to/37i0uJy
Rainn mentions the writer Anand Giridharadas, author of 'Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World': amzn.to/2CM6JHF
Derek talks about volunteering at the Baha'i World Centre: www.bwc.org/ and from this Baha'i Blog article: bit.ly/2NYILPT
We discuss "Constructive Resilience", an example of which you can read about from this article by Michael Karlberg: bit.ly/37hs1eo
Listen to Michael Karlberg here on the Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson: bit.ly/2KxZXcK
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Thanks for listening!
-Rainn Wilson

[@andreaschmidt6753]

Thank you both so much! Really appreciate the conversation!

[@BahaiBlog]

You're most welcome, and we're so glad to hear that! Thanks for your feedback and support! :)

[@andreahopeorg]

Great interview. I would suggest to put the main topic of the interview or profession of the guest in the video description as many people may not be familiar with the guest but interested in the topic.

[@BahaiBlog]

Hi Andrea, information about the guest and the topics being discussed are always located in the description below the video. Thanks for your support! :)

[@andreahopeorg]

@@BahaiBlog Yes I know. I meant the main description for people who are not subscribed to the channel but would come across the video on a KZbin search and be interested in the topic of racial justice or etc etc. When I look for interviews and talks to listen to, I usually do a quick scroll looking for interesting topics - just my two cents.

[@BahaiBlog]

@@andreahopeorg Sorry not sure what you mean, as all the information is there regardless of whether someone is subscribed to the channel or not. Please feel free to send us an email explaining what you mean using: [e-mail] Thanks Andrea!

[@todjones6571]

What type of person takes Derik's courses? Is this an element of journalism or history?