“My Uncle’s Favorite Coffee Shop” exhibits many of the themes Nye identifies as important in her life and her work. Nye often writes about the Arab American experience and has spent decades working against racism and prejudice. Growing up the daughter of a Palestinian refugee strongly influenced her poetics. In an article for the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Nye says:

I think I always saw myself as an observer. I always felt like my job is to be a witness. I’m not a full Arab, I’m not a full American. I always felt like I was a little bit on the sidelines, but I was in a spot where I had a good view. I could see what others did, I could watch, and I could absorb and put pieces together that made sense to me. (Luborsky, Alexa. "The Voices We Carry: A Conversation with Naomi Shihab Nye: Poet and Author.” Poetry Northwest, 1 Sep. 2023).

This knowledge particularly influences “My Uncle’s Favorite Coffee Shop,” as Nye examines an immigrant struggling to live in a new country while longing for the old. Nye’s firsthand, familial experience with Palestinian refugees (her grandmother also lived in the West Bank and Nye spent extended periods of time with her) allows her a particular poetic lens with which to tell their stories. Writing about Fuel, the collection in which “My Uncle’s Coffee Shop” appears, critic Victoria Clausi claims that Nye’s poetry confirms her “belief in the value of the overlooked, the half-forgotten” (Clausi, Victoria. “Rev. of Fuel by Naomi Shihab Nye.” Ploughshares). For Nye, the poet must work to humanize and share the stories of marginalized groups.