Texas Poet: Naomi Shihab Nye

One of Texas' most well-known poets is Naomi Shihab Nye. She is a Palestinian-American and was born in Saint Louis, though she has called San Antonio home since the 1970s. Nye has not only received awards from the Texas Institute of Letters and the International Poetry Forum but has also won four Pushcart Prizes.

Naomi Shihab Nye is a "wandering poet," and she had written fluently about places such as Jerusalem, Cuzco, and Houston. After reading only a sampling of her work, it becomes abundantly clear that she understands people, places, circumstances, and languages. Her connection to Texas is quite intimate, as evidenced by her poem, "At the Seven-Mile Ranch, Comstock, Texas." In this poem she writes:

                                        "The land walking beside you is your oldest friend,
                                          pleasantly silent, like already you've told the best stories
                                          and each of you knows how much the other made up."

Below please find a link to Naomi Shihab Nye reading "We Always Needed You," a poem about Townes Van Zandt.

http://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/495-we-always-needed-you