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A total joy to talk about my new book The Gift of Rumi: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master w. Meg Gambino for New Books Network — very grateful for the chance to talk about Rumi’s poetry & mystic message of love. To listen, click on this link.

The book is available for purchase at Macmillan, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and many other stores. The audio book is available at Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Scribd, Chirp, Libro, and 40+ retail and library distribution partners.

After a historic 70 day heatwave and related power outages, Chengdu got slammed with an intense COVID-19 lockdown (with a powerful earthquake on top of it!). To help lift the spirits of those in lockdown, my ol’ standup comedy crew in Chengdu (it rhymes!) started a nightly “talk show” while stuck in their homes. I was so honored & delighted to be invited on their show to talk about my creative life in Los Angeles, my new book, and the continuation of my worldwide standup comedy tour which I launched in China. It was great to see them again & catch up — happy to share some sunshine from California and good cheer on their show to keep them & their fans afloat during these challenging times in China.

After tai chihuahua practice, Abu and I headed to Simpang Asia for a tasty reunion with colleagues from my Fulbright in Java — so fun to see them and feast on yummy Indonesian food!

Abu and I like to do tai chihuahua and meditation at sunset on the beach (and in the morning too) — from hiking in the Himalayas of Tibet to chilling on the beaches of California, we love being immersed in nature…

Abu and I finally got to try the coffee at Menotti’s Coffee Stop in Venice (with an awesome film / comedy colleague) — so wonderful!

Abu spent Labor Day lounging on the beach — one of his ancestors has a personal connection to the holiday, as you’ll soon learn more about…

It’s so cool to see people posting about reading my book on their Kindle — and about listening to the audio book too in locations around the globe!

The book is available for purchase at Macmillan, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and other stores. The audio book is available at Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Scribd, Chirp, Libro, and 40+ retail and library distribution partners.

Abu has become a true beach baby — he’s enjoying chilling in cafes on the beach, doing tai chihuahua in the sand, and breathing in the fresh ocean air…

I had a blast doing standup comedy at the home of comedian and filmmaker Paul Provenza (The Aristocrats) for an event celebrating Vonnegut’s 100th to benefit the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indiana.

I launched my worldwide standup comedy tour in the People’s Republic of China during the global pandemic and have finally brought my act to Hollywood — dream come true. No greater joy than making others happy!

I’m thrilled to launch the audiobook of my new book, THE GIFT OF RUMI: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master — it’s a dream come true to hear Rumi’s poetry come alive through the extraordinary performances of Lilia Houshmand & Sean Rohani! The audio book is available at Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Scribd, Chirp, Libro, and 40+ retail and library distribution partners. The book is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Macmillan.

Such a lovely surprise that my book THE GIFT OF RUMI: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master is #1 in all these categories on Goodreads: Must Read Sufi Classics, Women in Sufism, People of Islam, and Classics from the Islamic World, Religion Published in Decade: 2020s, Persian Poetry in English Translation, and Books Every Muslim Should Read. If you haven’t bought it yet, the book is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Macmillan.

I bundled up to bring Abu to the beach to watch the sunset and rise of the full moon — he’s small enough that I can put him in a big pocket or cuddle him close in a fleece.

My friends and I brought rose spritzers and plopped down in beach chairs for a front-row seat to a breathtaking sunset and massive moon.

Abu was glad to be joined by his best beach friend — a sweet 13 year old dog (who yesterday went on a surprising running spree in giant circles on the beach).

After running on the beach all afternoon with his friend, Abu was more than ready to be snuggled close for the best show on earth — a sun setting over the Pacific on one side, and a magnificent moon rising on the other.