Naomi Shihab Nye, Palestinian-American poet and essayist, was warmly received on Monday, April 4 by Hill students and faculty during a day of gatherings in The Humphrey Family Writing Center and an evening talk and poetry reading in the Memorial Room. View more photos from Ms. Nye's visit to The Hill below.
View Quicktime videos from Ms. Nye's talk (please be patient as they will take a few moments to load):
Excerpts of Ms. Nye reading her work to members of The Hill communityIn introducing Nye, one of several “Writers at Work” for 2010-11, Writing Center Director Tony Reid ’75 said that throughout the day his guest commented on the beauty of Hill’s campus – observations made with “fresh eyes” that reminded him, too, of the many aspects of Hill life so worthy of appreciation.
“She uses the word ‘magical’ a lot,” Reid said, adding that he, in turn, would use that word to describe Nye’s passionate writing and keen perception.
Sixth form student Varsha Yerram introduced Nye by reading one of her poems.
Nye read from an range of verses, from poems written for children, to a poem about her brother and her father – one that she usually doesn’t read publicly, but chose to read because, she said, she felt so comfortable among Hill’s students and faculty. “You have kind, attentive faces,” she said.
“Poetry helps us do something with our thoughts, when we don’t know what to do with them,” she observed, referring to one of several poems that examines the tension and misunderstanding fed by misconceptions about ethnicity and religion.
Interspersed between her readings, Nye praised Hill’s beautiful settings, from the Memorial Room to the Dining Room, and praised Hill students’ work as represented in the recent edition of
The Record. At one point, she held up a small napkin imprinted with Hill’s seal and motto, “Whatsoever things are true.”
“I really love this motto,” she said, adding, “that’s what poetry is all about.”