Rumi Celebration – Poetry, Music & Whirling

Chan Center, UBC, Vancouver BC Canada 
I was invited by my dear friends Kolin Lymworth and Lizanne Fisher to draw at the 35th Anniversary Celebration of Banyen Books. A star studded evening included recitations of Rumi by poet/translators Robert Bly and Coleman Barks. Some of the most acclaimed Persian musicians performed, along with an ecstatic dancer and whirling dervishes. What a sublime evening! I plan to embellish some of the drawings with color in the coming weeks.

Poetry Robert Bly and Coleman Barks recited their translations of Rumi and others. These are images evoked by the poems.

Music The musicians were Rumi Slide Show Hossein Behroozinia, Pejman Haddadi,Behnam Samani and Reza Samani.

Dancers Persian ecstatic dancer Banafsheh Sayyad, whirling dervishes Raqib Burke and his daughter Mira Burke. This group is combined with photographs by Ross Chapin.