Lannan Foundation

Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet, essayist and children’s author. She 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 many parts of the world including Asia and the Middle East, Nye uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.

Naomi Shihab Nye is the author and/or editor of more than twenty volumes. Her books include 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, and Fuel (poems); Never in a Hurry (a collection of essays); Habibi (a novel for young readers); and Lullaby Raft (a picture book). Forthcoming are a picture book, Baby Radar; a novel for teens, Florrie Will Do It; and an anthology of Texas poetry and paintings.

She currently lives in San Antonio.