Author’s Corner

Rumi thinks. ryan speaks. so you’re engaging with two personalities. i surrender to both of them to express + heal. i’m not new to writing, just new to expressing thoughts out loud + in view. rumi is short for ruminating, “to think deeply about something”.

I write with words + symbols. it matters to me how words look + feel. sound is important too. as a kid, reading always made me drift off so i write to engage your mind; open, stimulate the imagination + sit in that space with you.

This book is a collection of ideas, art, emotions, and truth. I wrote it for myself, and I wrote it for you. It is meant to be seen, heard, felt, and even understood through connection, fostering healing together in shared introspection. Broken down into chunks and pieces, filled with words and symbols, it invites conversation, revelation, and exploration of dreams and alternate realities. Rumi thinks, Ryan speaks, so you’re engaging with two personalities as you read. Remember to breathe, as I hope you see things in thoughts and pieces.

Where is the machine? Where’s the machine that constructs dreams amidst systems failing, amidst the songs of ailing people witnessing injustice? It’s elusive, three miles away from Whole Foods, hidden in the act of using coupons, in the discounted living tearing at the seams of society. Where’s the machine that builds dreams over the bodies left in the streets, amidst yellow lines marking homicide scenes, where cases are dropped like shells from police-issued pistols, under the protocol for skin, overlooked by a conveniently blinded government and policy makers sheltered from the reality of sanctioned murder? Where’s the machine that builds dreams through identities lost on ships, beaten down to microscopic pieces with whips, entangled in chains that keep us scrolling and comfortable, posting and posing for cameras, hosting parties instead of tending to gardens, feasting on screens while producing broken humans? Where’s the machine that builds dreams amid doubt, alongside the struggle of “figuring it out,” within minds conscious, aware, and streaming, grappling with truth and scheming an algorithm to erase and replace outdated mechanisms with something greater, a machine that cultivates dreams out of everything, composting prejudice and distraction with self-love and interactions, with new people, new places, new scenes, by all means necessary? It’s imperative to code swiftly, temper glass, and close ads, to watch reels real fast, digitally feeding on real trash, with side effects loading, coasting, covering ears, strengthening gears with limited exposure, learning to think in dreams, confronting the seemingly impossible with faith, questions, and the courage to fuel investigation, becoming a sophisticated machine of imagination, the brilliance beneath unseen pain, an innovation of hope, becoming the machine that builds dreams. 

I instantly formed a connection with this book. After reading it through, I developed this habit of picking it up everyday only to be led to the perfect piece to read. It’s cathartic. It never misses in giving me exactly what I need. I read a lot, so I am not easily impressed, but Rumi’s thoughts + pieces is one of the finest reads I’ve experienced in a long time. – Dr. Kenny Jones, Published Author

Rumi’s mind is so creative. It’s seen all throughout the book, and for me I needed that level of engagement. I couldn’t put it down. I love the cover, the layout, and the codes included that take you on visual journeys. I’ve never experienced a book like this. – Louis Roberts, Published Author

This book has opened my eyes to so much in my life. Rumi shares in such a way that you feel a connection with her words. Every piece resonates. I see so much of myself in how she expresses. It’s bold, insightful. It’s different. Her approach to writing is unique. Feels like she leaves space for you to think and feel with her. – Kathryn Scurry, Mental Health