Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Poet Naomi Shihab Nye is this year's recipient of the 2013 Neustadt Prize for Children's literature... keynote and poems by Ms. Nye, with music and a discussion of Palestinian culture

The 2013 Neustadt Festival will celebrate the poetry and children’s literature by 2013 NSK Neustadt prizewinner Naomi Shihab Nye, as well as the works of the nine international writers who will be convening at the University of Oklahoma as the jury for the 2014 Neustadt Prize.
2013 NSK Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye. Photo by Chehalis Hegner

 The 2013 NSK keynote and poems by Ms. Nye, with music 
and a discussion of Palestinian culture
 (10am–noon, Meacham Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union).


The 2013 Neustadt Festival Kicks Off with a Packed House   
 Oct 30th, 2013
Ibtisam Barakat

Laura Hernandez

Laura Hernandez

Laura Hernandez


The Neustadt Festival 2013 has officially begun! Ananda Devi regaled an overflowing room of students with stories of language, writing, and identity in the first Neustadt event of the week. Devi speaks over five languages fluently, and students were eager to ask her questions about her writing and learning process.


At opening night, the festival ignited with a celebration of poetry in all its forms. Two Norman high school students recited their favorite poems for our Poetry Out Loud competition, which sends students from across the country to compete in local, regional, and national poetry competitions. Ken Hada, Nathan Brown, and Ibtisam Barakat judged the competition, with WLT editor in chief Daniel Simon presiding as moderator.

In addition to student performances, we also heard poetry readings from all three of the competition judges as well as from two Neustadt jurors—Lauren Camp and Fady Joudah. NSK Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye closed the event with personal stories and two readings, including one of her most beloved poems, “One Boy Told Me.”



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