This collection of essays and poems originates in a gathering of international poets and scholars in Konye, Turkey, convened to exchange ideas about, and responses to, the poetry of the Persian poet and mystic Rumi (1207-1273 C.E.)¿not coincidentally also the best-selling poet in the US¿with special attention to the shared poetic form of the ghazal. The volume is divided into three parts: the first contains a half-dozen critical pieces about the Sufi master¿s ideas, works, standing, and poetic legacy, written from a variety of literary and national perspectives. The second part gathers poetic and personal responses to Rumi¿s ghazals. Finally in the third, short, section, three women¿two poets and one essayist¿devoted Rumi readers all, grapple with the powerful male aura surrounding this ancient figure.