Naomi Shihab Nye
Naomi Shihab Nye | |
---|---|
Born | Naomi Shihab March 12, 1952 St. Louis,Missouri,U.S. |
Occupation | |
Education | Trinity University(BA) |
Spouse | Michael Nye |
Children | 1 |
Naomi Shihab Nye(Arabic:نعومي شهاب ناي;born March 12, 1952) is anArab Americanpoet,editor,songwriter,andnovelist.Born to aPalestinianfather and an American mother, she began composing her first poetry at the age of six. In total, she has published or contributed to over 30 volumes of poetry. Her works include poetry, young-adult fiction, picture books, and novels.[1]Nye received the 2013NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literaturein honor of her entire body of work as a writer,[2]and in 2019 thePoetry Foundationdesignated her theYoung People's Poet Laureatefor the 2019–21 term.[3]
Early life
[edit]Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet and songwriter born in 1952 to a Palestinian father, Aziz Shihab, who worked as a journalist, editor and writer, and American mother, Miriam Allwardt Shihab, an artist who worked as aMontessori schoolteacher.[4]Her father grew up inPalestine.He and his family became refugees in the 1948Nakba,when the state of Israel was created. She has said her father "seemed a little shell-shocked when I was a child."[5]
She grew up initially inFerguson,St. Louis County, Missouri. Her mother studied underPhilip GustonandMax BeckmannatWashington University in St. Louis.[6]In 1966, when Nye was 14, the family moved to theWest Bank,then part of Jordan, when her father's mother was sick.[7]After less than a year,[8]before the 1967Six-Day Waroccurred,[4]they moved toSan Antonio,Texas.[9]
Nye graduated fromRobert E. Lee High School,where she was editor of the literary magazine. She earned a BA in English and world religions fromTrinity University[10]in 1974 and has lived in San Antonio since.[4]
Career
[edit]Teaching writing
[edit]After graduation, Nye worked as a writer-in-schools with the Texas Commission on the Arts. She has continued to teach writing workshops, mostly to kids.[4]Currently, she teaches creative writing atTexas State University.[11]
Writing
[edit]Nye characterizes herself as a "wandering poet," and says that much of her poetry is inspired by her childhood memories and her travels. She considers San Antonio her current home, "San Antonio feels most like home as I have lived here the longest. But everywhere can be home the moment you unpack, make a tiny space that feels agreeable". San Antonio is the inspiration behind many of her poems.[12]Both roots and sense of place are major themes in her body of work. Her poems are frank and accessible, often making use of ordinary images in startling ways. Her ability to enter into foreign experiences and chronicle them from the inside is reminiscent ofElizabeth Bishop,while her simple and direct "voice" is akin to that of her mentorWilliam Stafford.
Her first collection of poems,Different Ways to Pray,explored the theme of similarities and differences between cultures, which would become one of her lifelong areas of focus. Her other books include poetry collections19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East,Red Suitcase,andFuel;a collection of essays entitledNever in a Hurry;a young-adult novel calledHabibi(the autobiographical story of an Arab-American teenager who moves to Jerusalem in the 1970s) and picture bookLullaby Raft,which is also the title of one of her two albums of music. (The other is called Rutabaga-Roo; both were limited-edition.)
Nye's first two chapter books,Tattooed Feet(1977) andEye-to-Eye(1978), are written in free verse and possess themes of questing. Nye's first full-length collection,Different Ways to Pray(1980), explores the differences between and shared experiences of cultures from California to Texas and from South America to Mexico.Hugging the Jukebox(1982), a full-length collection that won the Voertman Poetry Prize, focuses on the connections between diverse peoples and on the perspectives of those in other lands.Yellow Glove(1986) presents poems with more tragic and sorrowful themes. According to thePoetry Foundation,Fuel(1998) may be Nye's most acclaimed volume and ranges over a variety of subjects, scenes and settings.[13]
Nye's poemFamouswas referenced and quoted in full by JudgeAndre Davisin his concurring opinion on the caseG. G. v. Gloucester County School Board.[14]
Her poemSo much happiness[15]was included in the 'Happiness' edition ofParabola.[16]
Editing anthologies
[edit]Nye has edited many anthologies of poems, for audiences both young and old. One of the best-known isThis Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from around the World,which contains translated work by 129 poets from 68 different countries. Her most recent anthology is calledIs This Forever, Or What?: Poems & Paintings from Texas.
Awards and recognition
[edit]Nye has won many awards and fellowships, among them fourPushcart Prizes,theJane Addams Children's Book Award,the Paterson Poetry Prize, and many notable book and best book citations from theAmerican Library Association,and a 2,000 Witter Bynner Fellowship.[17]In 1997, Trinity University, her alma mater, honored her with the Distinguished Alumna Award.
In 1997, Nye became a Guggenheim Poetry Fellow. In 2000, Nye became aWitter Bynner Fellow,awarded by theLibrary of Congress.In 2002, she became aLannan Literary Fellow.[18]In June 2009, Nye was named as one of PeaceByPeace.com's first peace heroes.[19]In 2013, Nye won the Robert Creeley Award.[20]
In October 2012, she was named laureate of the 2013NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.[2]The NSK Prize is a juried award sponsored by theUniversity of OklahomaandWorld Literature Todaymagazine. In her nominating statement, Ibtisam Barakat, the juror who championed Nye for the award wrote, "Naomi's incandescent humanity and voice can change the world, or someone's world, by taking a position not one word less beautiful than an exquisite poem." Barakat commended her work by saying, "Naomi's poetry masterfully blends music, images, colors, languages, and insights into poems that ache like a shore pacing in ebb and flow, expecting the arrival of meaning."[21]
In 2019, thePoetry Foundationdesignated Nye theirYoung People's Poet Laureatefor the 2019–21 term. The foundation's announcement characterized Nye's writing style as one that "moves seamlessly between ages in a way that is accessible, warm, and sophisticated even for the youngest of readers."[3]
In 2023, she was awarded an honorary degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts.[22]
Personal life
[edit]Although she calls herself a "wandering poet", Nye refers toSan Antonioas her home and lives there with her family. She says a visit to her grandmother in theWest Bankvillage ofSinjilwas a life-changing experience. In 1978, she married Michael Nye, who worked initially as an attorney and later on photography and on writing on topics including hunger, teenage pregnancy and mental illness. They have one son.[4]
Published works
[edit]Poetry
[edit]- Different Ways to Pray: Poems.Breitenbush Publications. 1980.ISBN978-0-932576-04-0.
- On the Edge of the Sky.Iguana Press. 1981.
- Hugging the Jukebox.Dutton. 1982.ISBN978-0-525-47703-7.
- Yellow Glove.Breitenbush Books. 1986.ISBN978-0-932576-41-5.
- Invisible: Poems.The Trilobite Press. 1987.
- Mint.State Street Press Chapbooks. 1991.
- Red Suitcase: Poems.BOA Editions. 1994.ISBN978-1-880238-14-1.
- Words Under the Words.The Eighth Mountain Press. 1994.ISBN978-0933377295.
- Fuel: poems.BOA Editions, Ltd. 1998.ISBN978-1-880238-63-9.
- Mint Snowball.Anhinga Press. 2001.ISBN9780938078685.
- 19 varieties of gazelle: poems of the Middle East.HarperCollins. 2002.ISBN978-0-06-009766-0.
- Baby Radar.lllustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Greenwillow Books, 2003.[23][24]
- You & yours: poems.BOA Editions, Ltd. 2005.ISBN978-1-929918-69-0.
- A Maze Me: Poems for Girls.Greenwillow Books. 2005.ISBN978-0060581893
- Tender Spot: Selected Poems.Bloodaxe Books. 2008.ISBN978-1-85224-791-1
- Transfer.BOA Editions, Ltd. 2011.ISBN978-1934414644.
- Sometimes I Pretend: A Poem[artist's book]. Santa Cruz, California: Peter and Donna Thomas. 2014.
- The Tiny Journalist: Poems.BOA Editions, Ltd. 2019.ISBN9781942683728
- "Kindness"
Children's poetry
[edit]- What Have You Lost?(with Michael Nye). Greenwillow Books. 1999.ISBN0688161847.
- Come With Me: Poems for a Journey.Greenwillow Books. 2000.ISBN9780688159467.
- Is This Forever or What?: Poems and Paintings from Texas.Greenwillow Books. 2003.ISBN0060511788.
- 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East.Greenwillow Books. 2005.ISBN978-0060504045.
- Honeybee: poems & short prose.Greenwillow Books. 2008.ISBN978-0060853907.
- Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners.Greenwillow Books. 2018.ISBN9780062691842.
- Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems.Greenwillow Books. 2020.ISBN9780063013452
- Cast Away: Poems of Our Time.Greenwillow Books. 2021ISBN9780062907707
- Grace Notes: Poems about Families.Greenwillow Books. 2024.ISBN9780062691873
Poetry in anthologies
[edit]- The Best American Poetry.Scribner Poetry. 2003.ISBN0743203887
- When She Named Fire: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry by American Women.Autumn House Press. 2009.ISBN9781932870268.
- Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology.University of Georgia Press. 2018.ISBN978-0820353159.
- Thanku: Poems of Gratitude.Millbrook Press. 2019.ISBN978-1541523630.
Other children's books
[edit]- Sitti’s Secrets.Illustrated byNancy Carpenter.Four Winds Press, 1994.[25]
Essays
[edit]- Never in a Hurry: Essays on People and Places.University of South Carolina Press. 1996.ISBN9781570030826.
Novels
[edit]- Habibi.Simon Pulse. 1999.ISBN978-0689825231.
- Going, Going.Greenwillow Books. 2005.ISBN9780688161859
- The Turtle of Oman.Greenwillow Books. 2014.ISBN9780062019721.
- The Turtle of Michigan.Greenwillow Books. 2022.ISBN9780063014169.
Short stories
[edit]- There is no Long Distance Now.HarperCollins. 2011.ISBN978-0-06-201965-3.
- Hamadi
- Tomorrow, Summer
Discography
[edit]- Rutabaga-Roo – I've Got a Song and It's for You(Flying Cat, 1979)
Editor
[edit]- Naomi Shihab Nye, ed. (1995).The Tree Is Older Than You Are: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems & Stories from Mexico with Paintings by Mexican Artists.Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.ISBN9780689802973.
- Naomi Shihab Nye, Paul B. Janeczko, eds. (1996).I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You: Paired Poems by Men & Women.Simon & Schuster.ISBN9780689813412.
- Naomi Shihab Nye, ed. (1996).This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World.Aladdin Paperbacks.ISBN978-0-689-80630-8.
- Naomi Shihab Nye, ed. (1998).The Space Between Our Footsteps.Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.ISBN978-0689812330.
- Naomi Shihab Nye; Ashley Bryan, eds. (2000).Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets.HarperCollins.ISBN978-0-688-16193-4.
- Naomi Shihab Nye, ed. (2010).Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25.Greenwillow Books.ISBN9780061896378.
Critical studies
[edit]- Abouddahab, Rédouane. "The Life of ‘Words under the Words.’ The Father Figure, Mourning, and the Music of Desire in Naomi Shihab Nye’s ‘Brushing Lives.’"Revue Française d’Études Américaines170 (2022): 83-96.
- Abouddahab, Rédouane. "The Father as a Figure of Exile: Desire and Sublimation in Naomi Shihab Nye’s ‘My Father and the Figtree’." In S. Brownlie and R. Abouddahab, eds.,Figures of the Migrant: The Roles of Literature and the Arts in Representing Migration,New York and London, Routledge, 2022, 127-146.
- Gómez-Vega, Ibis. "The Art of Telling Stornoyies in the Poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye."MELUS26.4 (Winter 2001): 245-252.
- Gómez-Vega, Ibis. "Extreme Realities: Naomi Shihab Nye's Essays and Poems."Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics30 (2010): 109-133.
- Mercer, Lorraine, and Linda Strom. "Counter Narratives: Cooking Up Stories of Love and Loss in Naomi Shihab Nye's Poetry and Diana Abu-Jaber's Crescent."MELUS32.4 (Winter 2007):
- Orfalea, Gregory. "Doomed by Our Blood to Care: The Poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye."Paintbrush18.35 (Spring 1991): 56-66.
Forewords
[edit]- Clack, Cary, (2009).Clowns and Rats Scare Me.Trinity University Press.ISBN9781595340375
- Stafford, William, (2014).The Osage Orange Tree.Trinity University Press.ISBN9781595341846
- Ornelas, Christopher, (2017).Name Them—They Fly Better: Pat Hammond’s Theory of Aerodynamics.Trinity University Press.ISBN9781595348197
References
[edit]- ^"2013 NSK Neustadt Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye".The Neustadt Prizes.July 31, 2013.RetrievedApril 2,2019.
- ^ab"Naomi Shihab Nye Wins 2013 NSK Prize".The Neustadt Prizes.June 4, 2013.
- ^ab"Poetry Foundation Announces 2019 Pegasus Awards Winners, Marilyn Nelson Awarded Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize".Poetry Foundation.May 7, 2019.RetrievedMay 7,2019.
- ^abcdeBennett, Steve (May 20, 2015)."Naomi Shihab Nye a bright light of S.A. lit".San Antonio Express-News.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Nye, Naomi Shihab (August 28, 2014)."On growing up in Ferguson and Palestine".Washington Post.
- ^Shihab, Miriam Allwardt; Nye, Naomi Shihab (2021).Before I was twenty-three: paintings.Texas.OCLC1294303730.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Kurson, Ken (September 1, 2014)."Poet Naomi Shihab Nye Grew Up in Ferguson and the West Bank".The New York Observer.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Neklason, Annika (June 30, 2017)."Poem of the Week: 'Darling' by Naomi Shihab Nye".The Atlantic.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Cucinella, Catherine (2002).Contemporary American women poets: an A-to-Z guide.Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0313317835.OCLC144590762.
- ^"About Naomi Shihab Nye | Academy of American Poets".poets.org.Academy of American Poets.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^"Permanent Faculty".Department of English.Texas State University. March 9, 2021.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Long, Kate; Nye, Naomi Shihab (2009). "Roots: On Language and Heritage: A Conversation with Naomi Shihab Nye".World Literature Today.83(6): 31–34.doi:10.1353/wlt.2009.0357.JSTOR20621789.S2CID160273578.
- ^"Naomi Shihab Nye".Poetry Foundation.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Cole, David (April 11, 2017)."Poetry in the courtroom".The New York Review.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^Nye, Naomi Shihab."So Much Happiness".poets.org.Academy of American Poets.
- ^"So Much Happiness".Parabola.Vol. 42, no. 2 (Happiness).
- ^"Poetry in America: A Library of Congress Bicentennial Celebration To Be Held at the Library of Congress, April 3-4".Library of Congress. February 25, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2000.RetrievedNovember 13,2013.
- ^Barakat, Ibtisam (2014). "A Tribute to Naomi Shihab Nye".World Literature Today.88(1): 46–49.doi:10.7588/worllitetoda.88.1.0046.JSTOR10.7588/worllitetoda.88.1.0046.S2CID163228005.
- ^"Naomi Shihab Nye".Peace By Peace.Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2011.RetrievedNovember 13,2013.
- ^"Robert Creeley Award".Robert Creeley Foundation.Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2014.RetrievedMarch 19,2015.
- ^"Press Release: Naomi Shihab Nye Wins 2013 NSK Prize".World Literature Today. September 28, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2015.
- ^"Naomi Shihab Nye to Receive Honorary Degree".Vermont College of Fine Arts.RetrievedJune 6,2024.
- ^"BABY RADAR".Kirkus Reviews.
- ^"BABY RADAR by Naomi Shihab Nye".www.publishersweekly.com.RetrievedMay 11,2023.
- ^"SITTI'S SECRETS".Kirkus Reviews.
Further reading
[edit]- "Biography of an Armenian Schoolgirl,""The Shapes of Mouths at Parties,"and"So Much Happiness"by Naomi Shihab Nye inKalliope: A Journal of Women's Literature and Art.
- Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artistsfeaturing Naomi Shihab Nye. Edited by Nan Cuba and Riley Robinson (Trinity University Press,2008).
External links
[edit]- A Guide to the Naomi Shihab Nye PapersUniversity of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries)Special Collections.
- Naomi Shihab NyeatLibrary of Congress,with 41 library catalog records
- Naomi Shihab Nye | Steven Barclay Agency
- Naomi Shihab Nye: Profile and Poems at Poets.org
- World Literature Today page
- Poetry Foundation page
- On growing up in Ferguson and Palestine(article)
- Naomi Shihab Nye — Your Life Is a Poem(interview)
- 20th-century American women writers
- 21st-century American women writers
- 20th-century American novelists
- 21st-century American novelists
- 20th-century American poets
- 21st-century American poets
- 20th-century American short story writers
- 21st-century American short story writers
- American women poets
- American women writers of young adult literature
- American young adult novelists
- American writers of Palestinian descent
- Writers from San Antonio
- Trinity University (Texas) alumni
- 1952 births
- Living people