Naomi Shihab Nye

With our own son, we read to him and took him to the library, and once he was past the age of being read to at bedtime, I read poetry to him as a daily wake-up call until he went off to college.  He never objected.  I found Chinese and Japanese poetry a particularly rich early morning song...  It was great to have poems be the first thing to come out of my own mouth every morning-the first words let loose on the air inside our house. I recommend it.
~Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye is an Arab-American writer who refers to herself as a "wandering poet".  She began writing poetry at the age of 6 or 7, as soon as she learned how to write. Different cultures & cultural differences have been the most recurring themes of her work; she also often takes for her inspiration the images & situations of everyday life.  Her many honors include four Pushcart Prizes, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award, a Paterson Poetry Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Fellowship. After 9/11, she became a spokesperson for Arab-Americans, condemning both terrorism & prejudice.

Here's a list of some of our favorite Naomi Shihab Nye books:

19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls

The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems & Paintings from the Middle East and North Africa selected by Naomi Shihab Nye

There is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories

Transfer

Never in a Hurry: Essays on People and Places



Links

Naomi Shihab Nye reading "One Boy Told Me"

Naomi Shihab Nye poems on the Poetry Out Loud website