Rumi and the Sacrament of Friendship w/ Coleman Barks and Lisa Starr: A Festival of Faiths Program

Wednesday, November 11, Noon - 1:30 pm
Rumi and the Sacrament of Friendship
Poetry Reading and Discussion with Coleman Barks and Lisa Starr

Since 1977 Coleman Barks has collaborated with various scholars of the Persian language to bring to American the poetry of the 13th Century mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. This work has resulted in twenty-one volumes, including the best-selling Essential Rumi in 1995, two appearances on Bill Moyers PBS specials, and inclusion in the prestigious Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Dr. Barks taught American Literature and Creative Writing at various universities for thirty-four years. In March of 2005, the US State Department sent him to Afghanistan as the first visiting speaker there in twenty-five years. In May of 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Tehran. He is presently a retired Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia in Athens. His Rumi translations have sold over a million copies.

Lisa Starr, Rhode Islands Poet Laureate, has established poetry circles in hospitals, homeless shelters, the state prison, and agencies for children with severe mental and physical disabilities. Recently, Starr assembled more than a dozen US State Poets Laureate in Rhode Island for Poetry for Hope, a series of readings, workshops, and public forums featuring the visiting poets and emerging and established Rhode Island poets and musicians. She is the founder and director of the Block Island Poetry Project, the nationally acclaimed celebration of the arts and humanities, now in its sixth year.

Together they will explore the work of Jelaluddin Rumi, whom many believe to be the most read poet in the United States, with a particular focus on the theme of friendship. "Rumi's poetry reminds us that deep human friendship is a way into the divine mystery, friendship and conversation. These are the sacraments we are being called into," says Barks. And Lisa Starr reminds us that "one of the deepest friendship bonds is with our children".