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Article: Vital attitude of the poet: interview with Naomi Shihab Nye.(Interview)
- Article from:
- Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics
- Article date:
- January 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 American University in Cairo. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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This interview with poet Naomi Shihab Nye explores how her poems are informed by an inquisitive, child-like spirit and an ever-watchful eye of a mother. Such 'vital attitude' uniquely enables her to write poetry for all ages. It has also propelled her to travel across the United States and five continents, teaching the craft of poetry, and inviting audiences to experience how poems possess the power to connect people, to illuminate the mysteries of things, and to avail us of moments for self-restoration.
Introduction
I first got acquainted with Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry in the mid 1980s when I was selecting poems with Gregory Orfalea for what would ...