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Born in 1934 in Shiraz, Iran, Mosavat shares the beloved birthplace of world-famous Persian poets Rumi and Hafez. "So," writes Mosavat, "I was sentenced to be a poet for the rest of my life." Graduating from high school in Tehran during its violent revolution, his father sent him to America. With degrees in mathematics and physics, Mosavat taught in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for thirty years. Passionate about photography, traveling, poetry, music, woodturning, and cooking, the white-bearded author describes hugging giant trees in the Redwood Forest and his gratitude for cherry blossoms—colorful, fragrant, and delicious. His mosaic captures a unique life-story, including commentary from his wife, Judy, whom he lovingly describes with numerous endearing and humorous anecdotes. The two met at a poetry reading in Ann Arbor in 1985.
Mosavat's writing style has a special way of connecting with his reader, which rather feels like one has become an intimate friend with the author as his story unfolds. As the peace-loving Iranian poet and musician entertains large gatherings of friends, readers feel present among the jovial crowd. At the University of Michigan's Tappan International House, where he cooks Persian food for upwards of forty people for weekend gatherings, the reader can almost taste the delicious meals. It becomes clear that the author expresses genuine concern for his fellow human beings. Mosavat has lived a life encouraging young children to write poetry. "I love to learn how to be pure," he writes. "Little children bring that to me." Through poetry, music, and hugs, the author explains, he "breaks the ice." No fellow human is a stranger, he insists, once they have hugged.