Nothing Like the Sun:

A Celebration of November’s Rhythms

November 6, 2021

Join the Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry and special guest Chicago drummer River Roberts for a celebration of the movement of November into the world. This event will include poetry, music, and nature in ROMP’s outdoor area.

River Roberts

River Roberts, a rhythm and drum specialist, will be at the museum for a drumming workshop and drumming/rhythm circle with audience-participation.

At night, we will have a rhythm circle where people can join in with drums, maracas, tambourines, and other rhythm instruments. Bring your own drum or instrument.

Museum Tours: 10:00-5:00

Drum Workshop: 2:00-3:00

Rhythm Circle: 6:00-7:30

Refreshments will be provided!

All events are free and open to the public. Donations accepted. ROMP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and all donations fund the museum’s continuing work.

Drum Workshop: Begin with the Basics: An Intro to West African Drumming

Whether you’ve never held a drum before or have been playing percussion for years — come join us! We’ll cover everything from hand position and drum strokes to basic song and rhythm patterns that anyone can play, regardless of experience. Ideally, if you have a goblet-shaped drum such as a djembe, ashiko, conga, or doumbek, then you’ll be set – but we can work with just about anything that makes a sound.

Rhythm Circle

Bring your drums, shakers, percussion toys, bodies, and voices to the rhythm circle! We’ll do a quick walkthrough of basic drum circle etiquette, and then see where the rhythm takes us. No experience required – just a willingness to be a part of the fun by playing, vocalizing, dancing, or listening. Let’s bring a little joy to the weekend!

About River

River Roberts (she/her) lives in Chicago, IL, and has been playing West African and Middle Eastern drums for 25 years. She’s traveled all over North America and Europe teaching drumming and rhythm techniques to a wide variety of communities and age groups. She is skilled at creating spaces for people to find their intrinsic rhythm and enter into a community-based experience — but mostly, she just loves getting into a good groove with anyone who wants to join her.

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THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE SUN

by EDWARD THOMAS

There’s nothing like the sun as the year dies,
Kind as it can be, this world being made so,
To stones and men and beasts and birds and flies,
To all things that it touches except snow,
Whether on mountains side or street of town.
The south wall warms me: November has begun,
Yet never shone the sun as fair as now
While the sweet last-left damsons from the bough
With spangles of the morning’s storm drop down
Because the starling shakes it, whistling what
Once swallows sang. But I have not forgot
That there is nothing, too, like March’s sun,
Like April’s, or July’s, or June’s, or May’s,
Or January’s, or February’s, great days:
August, September, October, and December
Have equal days, all different from November.
No day of any month but I have said—
Or, if I could live long enough, should say—
‘There’s nothing like the sun that shines today.’
There’s nothing like the sun till we are dead.