Extreme Realities: Naomi Shihab Nye's Essays and Poems (Essay‪)‬

This article explores the connection between Naomi Shihab Nye's life as a writer who lives in the relative safety of the American Southwest and her emotional and familial connection to Palestine, a land torn by war. For Shihab Nye, the war in Palestine is personal because this is her ancestral homeland. Many of her poems deal with events that most Americans only see on the television news, but the Arab-American poet also writes about a world far removed from the war in Palestine. These poems offer evidence of life in a safer environment, but an environment where the poet nevertheless feels the stigma of being an Arab in America at a time when every Arab is suspect, including a poet. Through her poetry and essays, Naomi Shihab Nye navigates the two very extreme realities of her life. **********