Naomi Shihab Nye

I saw her read tonight, and I am so glad I went, despite the rain and the dark and the crowded auditorium. I took my sock knitting with me to take the edge off my anxiety while I waited for the program to begin.

I put the needles down once the house lights were lowered, and extricated my Moleskine and a pen so that I could jot quotes and book titles and poem fragments of my own as she spoke. The more I am enjoying the reader, the more notes I take. We gave her a standing ovation when she had finished, and rightfully so.

I hadn't encountered Naomi Shihab Nye or her work before (except that she was originally scheduled to speak here in October), and I didn't have funds to buy books tonight, but I definitely want to spend some time reading her as soon as possible.

I love living in a town in which there is access to writers of this caliber.