New Releases by Naomi Shihab Nye

Written by internationally beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye, Sidekick stands as a testament to poetry's enduring power to bear witness. With each poem, Nye affirms a truth that feels more urgent than ever: every human being deserves safety, dignity, and peace. Drawing on her family's deep roots in Palestine, Nye writes with both abiding love and immeasurable heartbreak, offering intimate reflections that illuminate the human cost of conflict. Long a champion of dialogue across borders and divides, she crafts poems that are direct, conversational, and unafraid to confront the systems and structures that perpetuate harm. Through her signature blend of candor, lyrical grace, and careful attention to everyday lives, Nye offers a collection that urges readers to look more closely, feel more deeply, and imagine a world in which we refuse to turn away from one another.

Le livre raconte une expérience que l'autrice a vécue à l'aéroport international d'Albuquerque au Nouveau-Mexique et qui a affirmé son espoir dans l'humanité.

The Climate Crisis affects all of us. It is critical we address this. Published by Cutthroat, a Journal of the Arts and The Black Earth Institute, this timely anthology brings together a hundred plus poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, including Rita Dove, Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, Martin Espada, Naomi Shihab Nye, Richard Jackson, Camille T. Dungy, J. Drew Lanham, Patricia Spears Jones, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Octavio Quintanilla, Brenda Peterson and more to discuss Climate Change and its affects on human and nonhuman populations, on urban and wild environments. Writings deal with Western wildfires, Eastern floods, rising sea temperatures and acidification, the disappearance of glaciers as well as also how the Climate Crisis intersects with social issues like racism, poverty, sexism, etc. This is not a doom & gloom collection, but one that aims at finding solutions to the Climate Crisis. All profits from sales will be donated to nonprofit groups aimed at preserving endangered species, such as grizzly bears, wolves, northern jaguars and large wild cats, and orcas.

“Celebrates the power of human connections.”—School Library Journal (starred review) “Humorous, sensitive, and poignant.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The stand-alone companion to National Book Award Finalist and beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye’s The Turtle of Oman. The Turtle of Michigan is a deft and accessible novel that follows a young boy named Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and adjusts to a new life and a new school in the United States. A wonderful pick for young middle grade readers and fans of Kevin Henkes, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Meg Medina. Aref is excited for his journey from Oman to the United States, where he will reunite with his father in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Aref makes a friend on an airplane, wonders what Michigan will be like, and starts school in the United States. While he does miss his grandfather, his Sidi, Aref knows that his home in Oman will always be waiting for him. Award-winning author Naomi Shihab Nye’s highly anticipated sequel to The Turtle of Oman explores immigration, family, and what it means to feel at home. Carrying a suitcase and memories of Oman, Aref experiences the excitement and nervousness that accompany moving to a new home and new school. The Turtle of Michigan is a great choice for reading aloud as well as a perfect read-alone for younger middle grade readers. Illustrated in black-and-white throughout.

"Nye once again deftly charts the world through verse."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A beautifully constructed, thoughtful, and inspiring collection."--School Library Journal (starred review) Young People's Poet Laureate and National Book Award Finalist Naomi Shihab Nye's uncommon and unforgettable voice offers readers peace, humor, inspiration, and solace. This volume of almost one hundred original poems is a stunning and engaging tribute to the diverse voices past and present that comfort us, compel us, lead us, and give us hope. "I think the air is full of voices. If we slow down and practice listening, we hear those voices better. They live on in us. Inspiration? We need it every day. We deserve it. It is essential, like food, water, clean air, shelter. Here are some poems celebrating the voices that have changed my life and continue to do so."--Naomi Shihab Nye, Award-winning poet and author Voices in the Air is a collection of almost one hundred original poems written by the award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of the artists, writers, poets, historical figures, ordinary people, and diverse luminaries from past and present who inspire her and us. Full of words of encouragement, solace, and hope, this collection offers a message of peace and empathy. Voices in the Air focuses on the inspirational people who strengthen and motivate us to create, to open our hearts, and to live rewarding and graceful lives. With short informational bios about the influential figures behind each poem, and a transcendent introduction by the poet, this is a collection to cherish, read again and again, and share with others. Featuring black-and-white spot art throughout, as well as brief bios of the "voices," an index, and an introduction by the author.

A Young People's Poet Laureate's "striking use of everyday images and timely themes makes this free verse collection meaningful, memorable, and accessible" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). This celebratory book collects in one volume award-winning and beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye's most popular poems. Featuring new, never-before-published poems; an introduction by bestselling poet and author Edward Hirsch, as well as a foreword and writing tips by the poet; and stunning artwork by bestselling artist Rafael López, Everything Comes Next is essential for poetry readers, classroom teachers, and library collections. Everything Comes Next is a treasure chest of Naomi Shihab Nye's most beloved poems, and features favorites such as "Famous" and "A Valentine for Ernest Mann," as well as widely shared pieces such as "Kindness" and "Gate A-4." The book is an introduction to the poet's work for new readers, as well as a comprehensive edition for classroom and family sharing. Writing prompts and tips by the award-winning poet make this an outstanding choice for aspiring poets of all ages. "The poet's voice is, as always, distinct and inquisitive and hopeful, sometimes playful, sometimes tender, sometimes both . . . Compelling." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A substantial volume of poems by Nye . . . A pleasure on many fronts. . . . Warm, welcoming, [and] inclusive . . . Lucky the reader who would have this collection lying around for visiting and revisiting." — Horn Book Magazine "A brilliant collection of poems about the essence of human connection....A spectacular book for all collections. An essential purchase. — School Library Journal

From the acclaimed poet and National Book Award finalist, "a sparkling book of travel and childhood: born on the bridge between two cultures" (Paulette Jiles, New York Times–bestselling author). In Never in a Hurry the poet Naomi Shihab Nye resist the American inclination to "leave toward places when we barely had time enough to get there." Instead she travels the world at an observant pace, talking to strangers and introducing readers to an endearing assemblage of eccentric neighbors, Filipina faith healers, dry-cleaning proprietors, and other quirky characters. A Palestinian-American who lives in a Mexican-American neighborhood, Nye speaks for the mix of people and places that can be called the "American Experience." From St. Louis, the symbolic "Gateway to the West," she embarks on a westward migration to examine America, past and present, and to glimpse into the lives of its latest outsiders—illegal immigrants from Mexico and troubled inner-city children. In other essays Nye ventures beyond North America's bounds, telling of a year in her childhood spent in Palestine and of an adulthood filled with cross-cultural quests. Whether recounting the purchase of a car on the island of Oahu or a camel-back ride through India's Thar Desert, Nye writes in wry, refreshing tones about themes that transcend borders and about the journey that remains the greatest of all—the journey from outside to in as the world enters each one of us, as we learn to see. "The generous gift of a writer at the top of her form, a book jammed with vivid sights and pungent tastes and wonderful stories." —Marion Winik, author of Above Us Only Sky

Internationally celebrated poet places her Palestinian-American identity center stage, putting a human face on war, honoring courage, praying for peace.

First love, friendships, family, hopes, and dreams are among the topics addressed in the 72 original poems written exclusively for this collection, accompanied by five full-color prints.

Naomi Shihab Nye focuses on ordinary people and ordinary situations, which, when rendered through the poems in Fuel, become remarkable. The poet imagines the border families of southern Texas, small ferns and forgotten books, Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East. Nye has written, "Lives unlike mine, you save me."

Shares stories about growing up in diverse homes or communities, from an Asian youth who gains temporary popularity by making up a false background, to a biracial girl whose father clears subway seats by calmly sitting between two prejudiced women.

"In the current literary scene, one of the most heartening influences is the work of Naomi Shihab Nye. Her poems combine transcendent liveliness and sparkle along with warmth and human insight. She is a champion of the literature of encouragement and heart. Reading her work enhances life."-- William Stafford Dusk where is the name no one answered to gone off to live by itself beneath the pine trees separating the houses without a friend or a bed without a father to tell it stories how hard was the path it walked on all those years belonging to none of our struggles drifting under the calendar page elusive as residue when someone said how have you been it was strangely that name that tried to answer Naomi Shihab Nye has spent thirty-five years traveling the world to lead writing workshops and inspire students of all ages. In her newest collection Transfer she draws on her Palestinian American heritage, the cultural diversity of her home in Texas, and her extensive travel experiences to create a poetry collection that attests to our shared humanity. Among her awards, Naomi Shihab Nye has been a Lannan Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Witter Bynner Fellow. She has received a Lavan Award from the Academy of American Poets, the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, and four Pushcart prizes. In January 2010, she was elected to the board of chancellors of the Academy of American Poets.

They are inspiring talented stunning remarkable wise They are also fearless depressed hilarious impatient in love out of love pissed off And they want you to let them in.

"Many years ago, during a particularly hard stretch at work, a friend slipped me a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye. That poem really found me--it spoke to my condition. So I began my fortunate acquaintance with Naomi's work. What a joy it has been to make this book!"--Colophon.

“Nye’s sheer joy in communicating, creativity, and caring shine through.”—Kirkus Reviews A moving and celebratory poetry collection from Young People’s Poet Laureate and National Book Award Finalist Naomi Shihab Nye. This resonant volume explores the similarities we share with the people around us—family, friends, and complete strangers. Honey. Beeswax. Pollinate. Hive. Colony. Work. Dance. Communicate. Industrious. Buzz. Sting. Cooperate. Where would we be without honeybees? Where would we be without one another? In eighty-two poems and paragraphs (including the renowned Gate A-4), Naomi Shihab Nye alights on the essentials of our time—our loved ones, our dense air, our wars, our memories, our planet—and leaves us feeling curiously sweeter and profoundly soothed. Includes an introduction by the poet.

When Aref, a third-grader who lives in Muscat, Oman, refuses to pack his suitcase and prepare to move to Michigan, his mother asks for help from his grandfather, his Siddi, who takes Aref around the country, storing up memories he can carry with him to a new home.

A multicultural anthology of poems represents the poetic voices, observations, traditions, and stories of people from some sixty countries around the world.

"Naomi Shihab Nye is a wandering poet. For over 30 years she has travelled America and the world to read and teach. Born in Missouri to a Palestinian father and an American mother, she grew up in St Louis, Jerusalem and San Antonio. Drawing on her Palestinian-American background, the cultural diversity of Texas, and her experiences in Asia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Middle East, her poetry 'reflects this textured heritage, which endowed her with an openness to the experiences of others and a sense of continuity across borders' (Bill Moyers). Through her empathetic use of poetic language, she reveals the shining nature of our daily lives, whether writing about local life in her inner-city Texan neighbourhood or the daily rituals of Jews and Palestinians in the war-torn Middle East.Probing the fragile connection between language and meaning, she shows how lives are marked by tragedy, inequity and misunderstanding, and that our best chance of surviving losses and shortcomings is to be acutely aware of the sacred in all things"--

Florrie's favorite coffee shop, with its open mike night, dreamy candles, and cute waiters ... Going? The mysterious little hut selling fresh lemon ice on the west side of town ... Going? The boutique featuring clothes you don't find at the mall, allowing you to look like ... an interesting person ... Going? Individuality. Originality. Quality. Independence. Opportunity. Going, going, gone. What's a girl to do?

In You and Yours, Naomi Shihab Nye continues her conversation with ordinary people whose lives become, through her empathetic use of poetic language, extraordinary. Nye writes of local life in her inner-city Texas neighborhood, about rural schools and urban communities she's visited in this country, as well as the daily rituals of Jews and Palestinians who live in the war-torn Middle East. The Day I missed the day on which it was said others should not have certain weapons, but we could. Not only could, but should, and do. I missed that day. Was I sleeping? I might have been digging in the yard, doing something small and slow as usual. Or maybe I wasn't born yet. What about all the other people who aren't born? Who will tell them? Balancing direct language with a suggestive "aslantness," Nye probes the fragile connection between language and meaning. She never shies from the challenge of trying to name the mysterious logic of childhood or speak truth to power in the face of the horrors of war. She understands our lives are marked by tragedy, inequity, and misunderstanding, and that our best chance of surviving our losses and shortcomings is to maintain a heightened awareness of the sacred in all things. Naomi Shihab Nye, poet, editor, anthologist, is a recipient of writing fellowships from the Lannan and Guggenheim foundations. Nye's work has been featured on PBS poetry specials including NOW with Bill Moyers, The Language of Life with Bill Moyers, and The United States of Poetry. She has traveled abroad as a visiting writer on three Arts America tours sponsored by the United States Information Agency. In 2001 she received a presidential appointment to the National Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

A collection of poetry and full-color artwork from Texas.