Poetry Mesa Presents: A Conversation With Naomi Shihab Nye
Event Category: All Events, Community Events, and Literary Events
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By Catherine Marenghi
Poetry Mesa, a global poetry community serving poets and poetry, proudly presents “A Conversation with Naomi Shihab Nye,” a lively Zoom event featuring poetry readings and deep conversation with the widely acclaimed and award-winning American poet.
The Zoom event is free of charge and will be presented by the San Miguel Literary Sala on August 29, 2022, 5:00-6:00pm Central. Pre-registration is required at https://sanmiguelliterarysala.org/product/poetry-mesa-naomi-shihab-nye/
Poets Catherine Marenghi and Judyth Hill, co-founders of Poetry Mesa, will moderate the conversation.
“We are deeply honored to present Naomi Shihab Nye and her exquisite and heartfelt poetry. Some of her best-loved works, such as ‘Kindness,’ have attracted a devoted and almost cult-like following, and they have been recorded by the likes of Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons. Naomi has delivered the healing power of poetry to unite people worldwide,” said Catherine Marenghi.
Naomi Shihab Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet.” She has spent more than 40 years traveling the world to lead writing workshops and inspiring students of all ages. Naomi was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, TX. Drawing on her Palestinian-American heritage, the cultural diversity of her home in Texas, and her experiences traveling in Asia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East, Naomi uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.
Naomi is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes. Among her numerous awards and accolades, she was named the 2019-2021 Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. In 2021 she was voted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Naomi is currently Professor of Creative Writing – Poetry at Texas State University.
Two books will be featured in the conversation, and Poetry Mesa lists them here in the event recommends purchasing the books in advance of the reading to follow along with the text:
- The Tree Is Older Than You: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems & Stories from Mexico, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye, with paintings by Mexican Artists (Aladdin, 1998)
- Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems (Greenwillow Books, illustrated edition, 2020). A treasure chest of Naomi Shihab Nye’s most beloved poems, such as “Famous,” “A Valentine for Ernest Mann,” “Kindness,” and “Gate A-4.”
“Naomi Shihab Nye has spent a lifetime delivering poetry as an act of compassion to the world. Her work with children, with refugees, and with victims of violence and discrimination are inspirational, and her words reach deep into our hearts,” said poet Judyth Hill. “In our very divided times, poetry offers peaceful places where people can come together.”
Poetry Mesa, launched in 202, showcases poets worldwide and offers readings, workshops, a calendar of international events, and other resources serving poets and poetry lovers. Visit www.poetrymesa.com.
Catherine Marenghi
Poet, Author
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Wareham, MA, USA
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