Kent School Hosts Poet, Naomi Nye
Naomi Nye visited Kent School on May 1 and May 2. Nye is a prolific writer whose work touches all ages. Her visit to Kent School was made possible by the Kudner Leyon Memorial Endowment.
Naomi Nye visited Kent School on May 1 and May 2. Nye is a prolific writer whose work touches all ages. On Monday, May 1, Nye held a poetry reading and commentary at Kent School in the Library. The public was invited to attend. Books were available for sale and signed by the author. On May 2, Nye conducted poetry and writing workshops with Kent School students. Her visit to Kent School was made possible by the Kudner Leyon Memorial Endowment.
Naomi Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet.” She has spent 40 years traveling the country and the world leading writing workshops and inspiring students of all ages. Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio. 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, Nye uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.
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Naomi Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet.” She has spent 40 years traveling the country and the world leading writing workshops and inspiring students of all ages. Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio. 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, Nye uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.
Nye is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes. Her books of poetry include 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, A Maze Me: Poems for Girls, Red Suitcase, Words under the Words, Fuel, and You & Yours (a best-selling poetry book of 2006). She is also the author of Mint Snowball (paragraphs); Never in a Hurry and I’ll Ask You Three Times, Are You Okay?, Tales of Driving and Being Driven (essays); Habibi and Going, Going (novels for young readers); Baby Radar, Sitti’s Secrets, and Famous (picture books), and There Is No Long Distance Now (a collection of very short stories). Other works include several prize-winning poetry anthologies for young readers, including Time You Let Me In, This Same Sky, The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems & Paintings from the Middle East, What Have You Lost?, and Transfer. Her collection of poems for young adults entitled Honeybee won the 2008 Arab American Book Award in the Children’s/Young Adult category. Her novel for children, The Turtle of Oman, was chosen both a Best Book of 2014 by The Horn Book and a 2015 Notable Children’s Book by the American Library Association. The Turtle of Oman was also awarded the 2015 Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature.
In preparation for this visit, Nancy Mugele, Head of Kent School, presented each student with a book written by Naomi. The girls received A Maze Me: Poems for Girls and boys received The Turtle of Oman.
“It has been my privilege and great pleasure to know Naomi Nye for a few years and I have seen firsthand the way she engages students in the art of writing poetry and verse. We truly enjoyed her visit. I was proud to read the work our students produced during her writing workshop and was glad to see community members at the poetry reading.”
Kent School, located on the bank of the Chester River in historic Chestertown, MD is an independent day school serving girls and boys from Preschool through Grade 8. The School’s mission is to guide our students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. Our school’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world. For more information about Kent School visit www.kentschool.org or call 410-778-4100 ext. 110.
