The Utah Statesman

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: Davis Archibald POET NAOMI SHihab spoke Wednesday about her works and sources of inspiration.

Poet Naomi Shihab Nye has published more than 20 books of poetry and has traveled the world for the past 33 years to read, write and inspire. Yesterday, Nye visited USU to read some of her favorite pieces of poetry she said exemplified her cultural background, her experiences and her views on the world around her.

"The act of writing is like a daily vitamin," Nye said. "Write your things down. You won't ever be sorry."

She also said, "We are all born poets. Some of us just keep it up."

Nye said poems take on lives - people shouldn't hold on to them, they should send them out so it has a chance to get a life. She said she likes to work on lots of different pieces at once, "like cooking in a kitchen. You don't cook one thing at a time," she said.

During her reading, she quoted photographer Russell Lee, who said, "Walk through the door. Don't just go up to the house and stare at it and think you know the house and you know the people who live in the house. Walk through the door."

When working on a piece, she said to talk to people, get to know them, try different writing styles and find a niche. She also said to look for inspiration all around, looking at everything from billboards to headlines.

When asked how she obtained such a great entertaining and presenting voice, Nye said writers have to get a voice and find their style. She found her voice, she said, by having to keep 700 high school student's attention.

Nye said she is inspired by Logan. She said she has never seen a more beautiful sunrise than the one in Logan, and then she thanked everyone for braving the snowy roads to come to the event.

Following the ending applause, she smiled and said, "Good luck with your weather map."

-n.drue.t@aggiemail.usu.edu

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