Poetic Interlude - Mai-Linh Hong reading "Harvest Moon with Wildfire"

How do you deeply care for the land to ground your living self within the collective of all living things? In this Poetic Interlude, Mai-Linh Hong shares her poem "Harvest Moon with Wildfire" (from her forthcoming debut collection, Continental Drift).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 Mai-Linh Hong and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.ABOUT MAI-LINH HONGMAI-LINH HONG is a Vietnamese American refugee poet and literary scholar. Her debut collection, Continental Drift, won the Trio Award and will be published by Trio House Press in 2026. Poems appear or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, ANMLY, Wildness, Waxwing, and elsewhere, and her writing has been supported by Voices of Our Nation, Tin House, and the Vermont Studio Center. She is coauthor and coeditor of The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice (U. of California Press, 2021). Raised in Virginia, she now lives in California’s Central Valley and teaches literature at U. of California-Merced.Pre-order Mai-Linh's debut poetry collection, Continental Drift (TRIO HOUSE PRESS, July 2026).Visit Mai-Linh at mai-linhhong.com. Say “hello” to Mai-Linh on Instagram @continentaldrift_poems.You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Mai-Linh's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.Note: "Harvest Moon with Wildfire" was first published in Waxwing Issue 34, Fall 2025.PODCAST TEAMHost, Dana Tenille WeekesProducer, Annabelle OhEditor, Sagheer MuhammadContent Manager, Annabelle OhIf this episode feels like a message or mirror, feel free to share it with someone who is looking to think about rest differently. 🎙️ Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. ⭐ Leave a 5-star review. (We are grateful for you doing so.) Until next time, rest, my friends.Connect with Us Website:www.therestofuspodcast.com  Instagram:@therestofus.podcast@danatenilleweekesSubstack:@therestofuspodcastLinkedIn:Dana Tenille Weekes