Conversations with Rumi: an Interactive Poetry Workshop with Haleh Liza Gafori

Conversations with Rumi: an Interactive Poetry Workshop with Haleh Liza Gafori Cost: For both workshops: $20; Per workshop: $15 The 13th century mystic and sage Rumi was dedicated to unshackling his mind, opening his heart, and accessing deeper levels of serenity, compassion, and generosity. Inducing ecstatic illumination and liberation in listeners, his poetry has been sought by readers across the world, returning to his text for inspiration and nourishment. In this workshop, we will read new translations of Rumi’s poetry from the book GOLD and dialogue with the poem, using excerpts as prompts for discussion and for our own writing. We’ll hear excerpts in Persian, unpack Sufi terms that have no one-to-one exquivalent in English, and explore the wise, confessional, and sometimes humorous messages and imagery that pervade his poems. Through our discussions and writing, we’ll see how his insights on love, ego-death, mortality, generosity, greed, and compassion dialogue with our lives and our times.