In this session, poet and spoken word artist Baraka Blue, brings Rumi's grammar into a contemporary idiom.

“Love is the astrolabe of God’s mysteries,” writes Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī. For centuries, Rumi’s poetry has invited readers across faiths and cultures to encounter love not simply as a theme, but as a way of understanding the world.

At the heart of his poetry is his transformative friendship with Shams of Tabriz—a relationship that reveals friendship itself as a school of beauty and spiritual transformation. In this spirit, Rumi’s work speaks directly to the Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts’ theme, **Fostering Friendship through Beauty**.

In this special session, poet and spoken-word artist **Baraka Blue**, co-founder of the Rumi Centre for Spirituality and the Arts, brings Rumi’s “grammar of love” into a contemporary idiom through poetry, recitation, reflection, and original spoken word. Rooted in the Sufi tradition, the evening invites us to consider how love might shape our speech, friendships, and attention today.

**Free and open to all. No prior familiarity with Rumi or his poetry is required.**

Please note that doors will close shortly before the advertised time, so we request that you arrive 15 minutes before the start time.

About Baraka Blue

Baraka Blue is a poet, educator, and founder of the Rumi Center for Spirituality and the Arts. His work explores the intersection of poetry, spirituality, and the inner sciences of the soul.

About The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts

The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts runs from 19 to 29 November 2026, bringing performances, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to Cambridge's historic colleges, museums, and cultural spaces. Open to everyone, the festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Islamic arts, and, fifty years on from the landmark 1976 World of Islam Festival, carries that spirit into our own time. Find out more at cfia.co.uk.

Description supplied by the event organiser.