Naomi Shihab Nye has been honored with this year’s Wallace Stevens Award, a prestigious lifetime achievement accolade that comes with a monetary prize of $150,000. This award, named after the renowned 20th-century poet, recognizes significant contributions to the field of poetry.
The announcement was made by the Academy of American Poets, which has previously recognized illustrious poets such as Louise Glück, John Ashbery, and Rita Dove with this distinguished honor. At 72 years old, Nye has made a notable impact with her poetry, having published notable collections including “Fuel,” “Yellow Queen,” and her recent work, “Grace Notes,” released this year.
According to the Academy’s Chancellor, Afaa Michael Weaver, Nye’s extensive body of work, which spans nearly five decades, showcases her keen engagement with the intricate layers of cultural diversity that unite humanity. He praised her unwavering dedication to serving as a source of illumination and optimism through her poetry.
Weaver emphasized the importance of Nye’s Palestinian heritage, noting her gentle yet unwavering examination of cultural themes in her writing. He remarked on the significance of her work, especially in times when the ongoing conflict between Gaza and Israel has the potential to escalate divisions and animosities around the world.
Additionally, the academy revealed that Evie Shockley has been awarded the Academy of American Poets Fellowship, which comes with a $25,000 stipend and a residency at the Eliot House located in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Previous recipients of this fellowship include esteemed poets such as Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, and Claudia Rankine.
Shockley’s poetry collection, “suddenly we,” was a finalist for the National Book Award last year, while her previous work, “semiautomatic,” received recognition as a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2018. Academy Chancellor Ed Roberson shared insights into Shockley’s unique approach to poetry, likening her treatment of historical figures to the way landscape painters manipulate light, using these elements to craft experiences of both space and time within her writing.