I want to tell you about the MS150 but, before I do that, I want to mention a luncheon I attended on Friday before heading out for the MS150. The luncheon was sponsored by the Seton Cove, and the guest speaker was Naomi Shihab Nye.

I have loved her poetry for years, so I jumped at the chance to share a room with her. I expected a soft-spoken someone. Naomi Shihab Nye is a gentle spirit, but she isn’t soft-spoken. She is hearty and exuberant. This woman loves to listen and laugh, and I listened and laughed with her. 

I loved learning that she and Marion Winik, another of my favorites, are friends. I loved hearing her about writing process and her suggestions for writing prompts. Those included:

1. Every day for a month, write the answer to the following question: “What am I waiting for?”
2. When you sit down, ask yourself, “What am I caring about right now?”
3. When you read poetry, don’t asked yourself, “What is the poem about?” Instead ask, “Did I like this poem? Where did this poem take me?”
4. Trust in the impulse of a first draft.
5. Give up the desire to be profound. Write about little things.

 Each tip helps me to be a better observer and writer.

After the luncheon, I googled her and found this video of her reading one of her poems. Enjoy it. And if you have a similar video you would like to share of your favorite poet, please do. I welcome your suggestions of new people to love.