Naomi Shihab Nye, "wandering poet"

July 6, 2024

Good morning. Remember, every day is a good day to connect with the depth and beauty of Palestinian poetry.

LEARN. Read the poetry of Naomi Shihab Nye, a Palestinian American and self-described “wandering poet.” A good starting place is “Before I Was A Gazan,” see screenshot below or read it here.

NOTICE. What do you feel when you read this poem? Do you recall what it was like to be a child worried about math class? What would it be like, as a young child, to lose everything you know to genocide?

ACT. Buy Naomi Shihab Nye’s newest poetry collection, Grace Notes, here. (Please do not buy from Amazon, which would be disrespectful to Palestinians since it is a company on the BDS list; see this post for more information.) Also, follow Nye on Instagram, here.

SHARE. Forward this to at least 3 friends, family or colleagues who will be moved by the brilliance of Nye’s poetry.

ASK. Which Palestinian poets, writers and artists do you follow? Please reply to this email (or, if you are reading this online, leave a comment below) to let us know.*

In solidarity for Palestinian liberation,

Kay Coughlin, on behalf of the Shades of Anger collective

*You can also continue the conversation with us in the Speaking Up Network, a private social media platform co-created by Animah Kosai, one of the leaders of Shades of Anger.

Shades of Anger was created by a global collective of women to raise awareness and inspire action to free Palestine. We chose the name of our collective to honor the poem, “Shades of Anger,” by Palestinian-Canadian poet Rafeef Ziadah. We also believe in liberation for Sudan, the Congo, Haiti, and all places where systems of oppression are causing immense suffering and crushing the life out humans. We are led by women of the Global Majority/BIPOC. Shades of Anger is for everyone who wants to act for liberation and you can learn more about it here.