bio
Short bio: Melody Moezzi is an Iranian-American Muslim author, activist, attorney, and visiting professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her latest book, The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life, earned her a 2021 Wilbur Award and is now available in paperback. She is also the author of Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life and War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims, which earned her a Georgia Author of the Year Award. She is a United Nations Global Expert and an Opinion Leader for the British Council’s “Our Shared Future” initiative. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and myriad other outlets. She has also appeared as a commentator on many radio and television programs, including NPR, CNN, BBC, PBS, and others. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Emory University's School of Law and School of Public Health, Moezzi lives in coastal North Carolina with her husband, Matthew, and their ungrateful cats, Keshmesh and Nazanin. You can follow her work on her website and stay in touch by signing up for her newsletter here.
Long bio: https://www.melodymoezzi.com/bio
book summary
Rumi's inspiring and deceptively simple poetry has been called ecstatic, mystical, and devotional. To writer and activist Melody Moezzi, they became a lifeline. In The Rumi Prescription, we follow her path of discovery as she translates Rumi's works for herself - to gain wisdom and insight in the face of a creative and spiritual roadblock. With the help of her father, who is a lifelong fan of Rumi's poetry, she immerses herself in this rich body of work, and discovers a 13th-century prescription for modern life. Addressing isolation, depression, anger, distraction, fear, and other everyday challenges we all face, the book offers a roadmap for living with intention and ease, and embracing love at every turn--despite our deeply divided and chaotic times. Most of all, it presents a vivid reminder that we already have the answers we seek, if we can just slow down to honor them.
images
Book Tour/Quarantour: https://bit.ly/34f8tGj
Author Photo: https://flic.kr/p/2ic6wqk
Book Cover Photo: https://flic.kr/p/2gKNZ1q
Audiobook Cover Photo: https://flic.kr/p/2ipWDhL
Event Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/melodymoezzi
LINKS
New York Times essay, adapted from THE RUMI PRESCRIPTION:
“How a Persian Mystic Poet Changed My Life.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/opinion/rumi-poems.html
North Carolina Public Radio Interview: https://www.wunc.org/post/rumi-prescription-embraces-nuances-insanity
Press release: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uiy17cm7le06z8z/RumiRxPressRelease.pdf?dl=0
AUDIO BOOK SaMPLE
Early praise
“A heartening narrative of family, transformation, and courage” that “could shatter a variety of prejudices and stereotypes.” — Kirkus
“The Rumi Prescription is a testament to the healing power of art and its ability to bring peace to our battered souls. Sometimes the cure we need is not a pill, but a poem.” — Firoozeh Dumas, New York Times Bestselling author of Funny in Farsi
“As a lover of beautiful sentences, and a secret self-help addict, I gobbled up this groundbreaking book, relishing the language, the wisdom, and the vivid and moving portrait of a father and daughter. Whether you read it for its fine translations of Rumi, its engrossing story, or as a practical guide for self-care, please give yourself the gift of reading The Rumi Prescription." — David Gessner, New York Times bestselling author of All the Wild That Remains and The Tarball Chronicles
“Melody Moezzi takes Rumi down from a dusty bookshelf, breathes life into his ancient wisdom, and makes him our guide through common contemporary struggles: anger, anxiety, distraction, and more. The Rumi Prescription translates the wisdom of a medieval mystic into the voice of a wise, honest, irreverent friend who tells us what we most need to hear.” — Krista Bremer, author of My Accidental Jihad / A Tender Struggle
“A stunning memoir. Melody Moezzi merges medieval poetry with modern dramas, exploring love, politics, and mental health. Original translations of Rumi's poems are interspersed with ruminations on fatherhood, feminism, and self-care, offering insights that will change your life. I wish I could prescribe this memoir.” — Dr. Seema Yasmin M.D., author of Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, Inspiration and Adventure
“This book enlightened, delighted, and actively helped me. It’s a love letter sent across centuries – from one artist to another; and decades – from a daughter to her father; and in the here and now – from a writer to her readers. The Rumi Prescription is the sweetest medicine I’ve ever taken.” — Nina de Gramont, author of The Last September
“The Rumi Prescription is a joy to read.” — Ellen Forney, New York Times Bestselling author of Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michaelangelo and Me