Category Archives: Blog

I’m so grateful for this generous early review of my Rumi book by Zen priest and Unitarian Universalist minister James Ford, who writes a blog on Patheos called Monkey Mind. He ends his review with these words: “What a lovely book. Do yourself a favor. Buy it. Do yourself another favor. Read it.” You can pre-order it now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Macmillan.

You should absolutely judge my book by its cover — the publisher did a marvelous in making it gorgeous! On top of that, the audio team has produced an astonishingly beautiful audio version as well — the voice actors are so incredibly talented (can’t wait for you to hear them)! I would recommend buying both the book (because it’s such a stunning artifact) and the audio book (because it’s an “experience” that really captures the “voice” of Rumi). You can pre-order the book and audio book now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Macmillan.

I am still grieving the loss of my best bud in LA, Hollywood legend Bo Hopkins. Bo and I liked to get together every week, and I treasured every moment of our time together. Perhaps when the sorrow has lifted, I will be able to share a little more about all our fun times together and his inspiring talent and charm. Bo was a loving godfather to my little chihuahua from China, Abutiu Khufu (aka Abu) — who he adored (kindred spirits!). It’s devastating to lose such a close and caring friend — and, of course, remarkable acting talent. We miss you Bo, so much…

My friend sweetly took Abu and I out for our first Lebanese feast in LA — was so delicious (that mutabbal!) and brought back many fond memories of living in Beirut for so many years.

I’m grateful to share my new publication, “Disability on Arab Screens: Cripping Class, Religion, and Gender in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon,” published in Disability and Society. I had the absolute joy of first presenting this research at the “Emerging Disability Issues: Varieties of Disability Activism and Disability Studies: Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Disability Studies and Disability Activism” organized by the Department of Disability Studies at the University of Malta. As I am currently intensively studying Maltese, I’m always thinking back to this fabulous conference and my amazing trip to Malta — was a dream come true!

For my paper on “Islamic Mysticism in Indonesia: Artistic Appropriations of Sufism in Java,” which I gave at the American Institute for Indonesian Studies Conference hosted by Michigan State University, I had the joy of diving into the mystic practice of whirling in Indonesia (where I was a Fulbright fellow). You will read in-depth about whirling in my new book, The Gift of Rumi.

I was delighted to give my paper (to be published soon), “Ecologies of Female Genital Mutilation in Oman: Clitographies of Violence in Islamic Law, Communal Practice, and Sexual Tourism,” a few weeks ago at the Feminist Geographies Symposium 2022 at Free University in Berlin.

I’m happy to share with you the gorgeous cover for my book (by all means, judge it by its cover!) — which is now available for pre-order and will be released July 26th, 2022. You can pre-order it now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, and Macmillan. Looking forward to sharing with you the ocean of love that flows through Rumi’s majestic verses and his inspiring wisdom that our broken world and yearning hearts are desperately needing.

My little chihuahua Abutiu Khufu (aka Abu) grew up this summer hiking in the Himalayas of Tibet — so ever since we landed in America he’s been eager to take to the mountains in California and explore Yosemite National Park. Driving across all of the China (from Sichuan to Shanghai — Wuhan included!) wasn’t enough for him, so I agreed to take him on another big adventure!

Abu’s usual haunts in California include Sunset Boulevard, Los Feliz, and the beach — so he didn’t know what to expect when we hit the road to drive to Yosemite.

Abu wakes up every day hungry for a new adventure. Our first day in Yosemite, we loaded up on a big breakfast at Tenaya before heading out to hike.

Abu’s colorful poncho has been a big hit on the streets of Los Angeles (especially in our majority Latinx neighborhood), and he’s also gotten many compliments on it on his way to Yosemite and in the park.

One of Abu’s favorite new places for relaxing is The Ahwahnee in Yosemite — which is stunning inside and out (the kid’s got taste).

This lovely room (those windows!) is perfect for playing card games or reading a book — or just snuggling Abu and enjoying the view.

Abu wanted to explore every inch of The Ahwahnee before heading out to explore the famous cliffs, waterfalls, and valleys of the park.

He was impressed most of all with Yosemite Falls — where he ran into a lot of other dogs and let them know who’s boss.

As a crazy former rock climber, it was a dream come true for me to finally see El Capitan — and Abu enjoyed breathing in the crisp, clean air after having been born and raised in heavily polluted China.

I also took Abu to lakes big and small for him to soak in the different landscapes and leisure activities in the area — he even made a chihuahua friend made Roxy on these quiet banks (love at first sight!).

Our friend surprised us with this awesome new sweatshirt, which she kindly bought for us while we waited for our lakeside lunch.

Abu was surprised to find this ice cream stop on the lake has an entire pet menu!

But it was no surprise that Abu was a big hit at the lake. And this peanut butter ice cream really hit the spot!

We’ve also enjoyed exploring nearby towns — hiking through the hills to take in secluded homes and shopping in historic storefronts that harken back to the region’s gold mining days.

Turns out Abu is a fan of walking through tall grass and he’s loved watching all the new birds he’d never seen before — not to mention deer!

Abu got to spend his first Easter in America in the mountains — taking time to smell the flowers and be on the lookout for bears.

Later on Easter Sunday, when we wandered into an antique store in Mariposa, I was shocked to find they had two khanjars from the Sultanate of Oman, where I used to live. Of course, I had to buy them!

Every day at sunset, out here in the Sierras, Abu likes to hike up as high as he can to enjoy the stunning view and then head back home in his trusty bag — the raucous singing of the frogs in the creek leading us home.

This summer I headed to the Himalayas in Tibet to work on my book, The Gift of Rumi, and enjoy a long meditation retreat.

I was fortunate to find the most magical secluded cabin, which felt like it had been made just for me. It was truly the perfect place to write my book, immerse myself in Tibetan culture and meditation, and explore Himalayan nature with my baby chihuahua.

The cabin had air conditioning, so when the sun heated it up, I could just flip a switch and relax in the cool air. Experiencing rain storms in the cabin (from my tub!) was otherworldly.

The cabin also had an incredible roof on which I was able to do tai chi in the morning before writing or setting off to hike with my little pup.

The cabin came with a shower and bathtub option. I vowed to use the bathtub every day at sunset to take in the breathtaking view.

The cabin was surrounded by a lush and well-maintained garden on one side (so many beautiful flowers!) and a cornfield with sunflowers on the other.

My chihuahua Abu enjoyed lounging in the wicker swing while I wrote my book each day — to rest up before heading out to hike all afternoon in the Himalayas and explore monasteries, stupas, and watchtowers. Looking forward to sharing much more about our unique adventures in Tibet in my new China / Tibet memoir.

After my winter misadventure in Tibet, I feared I would never return — but fortunately I did this summer. It was an experience of a lifetime!

I took my baby chihuahua Abutiu Khufu with me to spend his young boyhood hiking in the Himalayas — where he eventually learned how to climb stairs and dodge cattle on the path.

Best of all, we had a pool that was truly out of this world, and we made sure to use it every day.

Of course, the weather up in the Himalayas changes so quickly — so whenever the sun was out, I tried to get to the pool before a storm rolled in.

Baby Abu was in heaven exploring the hotels we stayed at and the many trails we hiked.

As you can see, the architecture is out of this world — I have too many photos to share (a problem from having been to 60 countries and taken so many photos).

On our adventures in nature, Abu and I explored many crumbling watchtowers and mountain views. More on Tibet to come!

I am so honored to have three of my poems about my winter adventure yak herding with Tibetan nomads 14,000 feet up in the Himalayas of Tibet published in The Louisville Review.

It was a dream come true to yak herd with Tibetan nomads high up in the Himalayas at 14,000 feet.

Yak herding is hard work — we had to get up early, pick up yak dung, milk the yaks, and then prepare to herd them later in the day.

Due to a lack of heat, I had to wear so many layers — and showers of course aren’t available.

I bundled up as much as I could to keep warm, but those extreme heights of the Himalayas are so chilling and we didn’t have heat at night.

Eventually, for reasons you’ll read about in my China / Tibet memoir, I ended up in a rural Chinese hospital with IV medicine all day for a month. My adventure turned into a misadventure! But fortunately I was able to return to Tibet this past summer — where more adventure and misadventure awaited me!

It was a dream come true to experience winter in the Himalayas of Tibet at 14,000 feet. I’d gone to Tibet to yak herd with Tibetan nomads — but first I had a special mission to carry out.

Before moving into a very basic shack with Tibetan nomads to learn how to herd yaks and practice nomadic Tibetan dialect, I visited as many sacred sites as I could around Tibet to carry out my mission.

My mission was to scatter my beloved chihuahua’s ashes at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, nunneries, stupas, and sacred landscapes around Tibet after his traditional Buddhist funeral in China.

It was truly the perfect end to his spectacular life, considering that he once enjoyed a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In my coming China / Tibet memoir, I discuss this grand Tibetan adventure — and misadventure, as I got very sick when at 14,000 feet.

Now my blessed chihuahua is one with the occupied soil of Tibet — and many Tibetan Buddhist friends think it’s not a coincidence that he had a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Harvard and then his remains years later ended up scattered all around Tibet’s most holy sites. So amazing.