Trailing Smoke of Stories~Naomi Shihab Nye~

Dana Rafferty, Christina Yerdon, Meagan Davis, Nicky Fraebel

“For me the primary source of poetry has always been local life,

random characters met on the streets, our own ancestry sifting

down to us through small essential daily tasks.”

Biography

• Born - March 12, 1952 • Half Palestinian and half American • St. Louis, Jerusalem, San Diego• B.A. English and world religions• “Wandering poet” – Storyteller

• Songs and novels along with poems•Married 1978

Styles

• Imagery (visual, kinesthetic, organic, auditory…)• Words flow like a storyteller• Metaphors/ similes • Repetition• Symbolism in religion

Themes

• Culture-clash (half and half)

Interview with Rachel

Barenblat…

INTERVIEWS WITH NAOMI SHIHAB NYE…

Fabulous

“Fuel is an amazing, strong, surprising, fantastic book of poems – and Nye is an amazing, strong, surprising, fantastic poet.”

- Rachel Barenblat

Her favorite poet.

Student in one of Nye’s poetry classes.

Excitin

g

Invigorating

Encouraging

“Naomi Shihab Nye, is an American, an Arab, a Poet, a parent, a woman of Texas, a woman of ideas.”

INTERVIEWS WITH NAOMI SHIHAB NYE…

Interview with Bill Moyers…

Moyers found comfort in

her poetry while in the hospital.

“Her poems speak of ordinary things – things we take for granted until it’s too late…”

“Hidden”

We Agree

• How does the poet’s gender/life experiences/cultural background influence his or her poetry (3-4 slides)

Pictures I used

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.uncoverage.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/american-flag-2a11.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.uncoverage.net/2010/03/haiti-bans-american-flag-obama-approves/&usg=__TTmqZPMm1c2UeuQeLF8xSvrCA-8=&h=480&w=640&sz=55&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=HXYlGLwl61xuFM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=161&ei=ne5KTZ-FHpLegQezwoT4Dw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Damerican%2Bflag%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1148%26bih%3D663%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&oei=ne5KTZ-FHpLegQezwoT4Dw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=57&ty=23

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.uncoverage.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/american-flag-2a11.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.uncoverage.net/2010/03/haiti-bans-american-flag-obama-approves/&usg=__TTmqZPMm1c2UeuQeLF8xSvrCA-8=&h=480&w=640&sz=55&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=HXYlGLwl61xuFM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=161&ei=ne5KTZ-FHpLegQezwoT4Dw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Damerican%2Bflag%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1148%26bih%3D663%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&oei=ne5KTZ-FHpLegQezwoT4Dw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=57&ty=23

“My German-American grandmother gave me a powder puff that when tapped 30 years later, still emits a small mysterious cloud. My Palestinian grandmother gave me a laugh and a tilt of the head. My Great uncle Paul gave me a complete sewing kit, 100 years old and 1 inch tall.Whenever people have asked, ‘Where do you get ideas to write about?’ I wonder, ‘Where do you not?’”

“For me the primary source of poetry has always been local life, random characters met on the streets, our own ancestry sifting down to us through small essential daily tasks.”