By: MATTIE SPINK
Staff Writer
Naomi Shihab Nye is an American poet and author. She was born on March 12, 1952, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother was an American, Nye grew up with an interesting culture that influenced the types of works she wrote. Her works were further inspired by where she grew up as a child, Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas. In 1974, Nye graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with her Bachelor of Arts. However, her career as a poet started long before then. Nye’s first poems were written when she was only 6 years old. Many of her writings have been based on her childhood and the lessons she learned. Aside from her own experiences, the other primary fuel for her creative writing is the stories of the random people you can meet at any point in your life. For the most part, these characters have been from the Mexican-American community, as there is a strong community there in San Antonio that Nye is inspired by.
Nye has used her writing for more than just entertainment, she has used it to project important messages to larger audiences. After the attack of 9/11, Islamophobia and racism towards Arab people skyrocketed. During this time, Nye used her words to be an advocate for the Arab community. She actively spoke out against terrorism and prejudice and invited discussion on these topics through her works. She had written a collection of poems titled 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East (2002), which consisted of Nye’s experiences as an Arab American. Nye had also written a book titled You and Yours (2005), which continued to expand on her experiences as an Arab American and also addresses the war-torn Middle East.
In her personal life, Nye claims to be a “wandering poet.” Despite this, she has settled down in San Antonio with her family. Her family consists of her husband, Michael Nye, and their son, Madison Cloudfeather Nye.