Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, renowned author Naomi Shihab Nye grew up in St. Louis, Mo., Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas. Drawing on her heritage and her extensive traveling experiences, she uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.
Nye has earned numerous awards, including four Pushcart Prizes, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize and many others. Her collection, 19 Varieties of azelle, was a finalist for the National Book Award. She has been a Lannan Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow and a Witter Bynner Fellow.
A regular columnist for Organica, Nye is also the poetry editor for the Texas Observer. Her work has been presented on National Public Radio on “A Prairie Home Companion” and “The Writers Almanac.” She has been featured on two PBS poetry specials and has also appeared on “NOW with Bill Moyers.” In addition, she has been a visiting writer at the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin, and the University of Hawaii.
Designed to supplement all of the departments in the College of Arts & Humanities, the Hurst Artist-in-Residence program is made possible through a generous donation by Dean W. and Carol W. Hurst, two WSU alumni who share a strong interest in the arts and humanities.