Appearances

Forty-eight document boxes and seven oversized boxes containing drafts, diaries and notebooks, photographic material, correspondence, and published material document the working life of poet, writer, and educator Naomi Shihab Nye (1952-). The collection has been arranged into seven series: Series I: Personal and Biographical; Series II: Works; Series III: Correspondence; Series IV: Instruction; Series V: Appearances and Awards; Series VI: Writings on Nye; and Series VII: Works by Others. Multiple drafts of published and unpublished songs, poems, short stories, and essays document Nye’s creative work from an early age through high school, college, and adulthood. While her own books are not as well documented, Nye’s work as editor of several poetry collections is well-documented. Of note is correspondence with long-time editor Virginia Duncan, which documents their working relationship as well as several projects. Also of note is Shihab Nye’s teaching work, documented via poems written by children, clippings, and reports.