Finding Community, an Evening with Naomi Shihab Nye
by Delia Cullity
Although I’ve always loved language, the Salem State Writer’s Series event featuring Naomi Shihab Nye was my first time at a live poetry reading. As we waited in the brightly polished recital hall, I caught fragments of conversation from local artists, writers, and students, all drawn toward the sincerity and genuine kindness of Nye’s work.
Shihab Nye’s poems are often told from unusual perspectives and show that people all around the world are connected by their love of stories, and the desire to live in a peaceful and compassionate world. Shihab Nye accompanied each of her poems with stories of her life as a “wandering poet”. It’s easy to be drawn in by her comfortable demeanor and enthusiasm for inspiring other writers.
Through her writing, we followed Shihab Nye’s grandson as he explored art museums and the mysteries of life itself, and felt her love and exasperation at her mother’s insistence that the men who’d scammed her out of $10,000 had been quite handsome. We followed Shihab Nye to Palestine as she spoke with Janna Tamimi, one of the youngest journalists in the world reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Tamimi’s hometown of Nabi Salih.
Shihab Nye talked about the children of Palestine, who wanted to know what kind of animals and shapes we have here in America, their fascination an echo of her grandson’s boundless curiosity.
Shihab Nye’s work reveals how deeply she feels about the people she encounters, regardless of the time or distance that separates them. In her words, “I need all these people all the time,” and I feel lucky we were able to share this sense of community with her.
Nye’s appearance was preceded by SSU senior Meghan Miraglia, whose three poems were heartbreakingly beautiful glimpses into the tumultuous feelings that surround life transitions and identity. We at Red Skies are all looking forward to the release of her forthcoming chapbook, slated for a Spring 2023 release with SSU Press.