What happens when a 13th-century Sufi poet shows up at an Oakland bakery?
Ralph Dranow's JELALUDDIN RUMI COMES TO OAKLAND answers with 79 poems that find the sacred tucked into the everyday-in a driving instructor's patient smile, an emergency room nurse's steady hands, two oak trees standing witness to time. With tenderness and sly humor, Dranow transforms the mundane into the miraculous: grocery lines become meditations, a new bath mat sings lullabies, political figures stumble toward redemption.
Organized into eight thematic sections-from "Opening the Door" to "The Writing Life"-this collection moves from the mystical to the deeply personal, from quiet observations of nature to urgent social commentary. These are poems of deep noticing, written by someone who knows slowing down isn't resignation-it's a balm for troubled times and hungry hearts.
Dranow writes about what we all encounter: waiting in line at 7-Eleven, combing the cat, eating oatmeal, meeting strangers who change us in small ways. He celebrates service workers and forgotten people, grieves losses, wrestles with political absurdities, and ultimately invites readers into the "glorious sandbox of poetry" themselves. His accessible, compassionate voice welcomes both longtime poetry readers and those just discovering the form. From the mystical opening-Rumi signing books at an Oakland bakery-to the generous closing invitation in "A Letter to an Aspiring Poet," this collection demonstrates that poetry belongs to everyone, not just literary elites. It's purple wildflowers growing profusely on a hillside, not a hothouse flower for the select few.
PRAISE FOR JELALUDDIN RUMI COMES TO OAKLAND:
"Dranow's poems will help you feel happy once again and teach you how to appreciate each moment, whether shopping, eating, or snuggling with a loved one, especially if it's your cat!" - Judy Wells, author, Night at the Mus嶪 d'Orsay: Poems of Paris & Other Great European Cities
"Some poems made me laugh, others made me want to go walk in the woods, while others brought forward childhood experiences that made me want to cry. The poems in Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland immerse the reader in a spirit of gentleness. '...there's more to life/ than laundry and worrying, ' writes Dranow in 'The Camellia Tree in Front of My House.' Read Dranow's Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland and discover a balm for the heart." - Anna Citrino, author, Stories We Didn't Tell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ralph Dranow is an award-winning poet who lives in Oakland, California. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he teaches poetry writing to seniors and other community groups. Jelaluddin Rumi Comes to Oakland is his latest collection celebrating the extraordinary in ordinary life. Perfect for readers of Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, and anyone seeking accessible contemporary poetry, mindfulness and presence poetry, poetry of social justice and compassion, or poetry about everyday life.
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