Rupi Kaur is a 24-year-old Punjabi-Sikh poet from Canada who made her own way when publishing companies wouldn’t publish her work. Many times, Kaur was told that her poetry made people feel uncomfortable, but Kaur did not let this stop her from sharing her words.
“For South Asian women, you’re supposed to be quiet and not have those opinions,” says Kaur. But she didn’t let her critics stop her from talking about important issues such as rape and abuse that often go unaddressed.
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Kaur turned to social media, particularly Instagram, and became an internet success, or “Instapoet.” She went on to self-publish Milk and Honey, her first book of poetry, in 2014 — and gained so much attention that it was re-released by a major publishing company in 2015 and stayed on the bestseller list.
Here are 10 reasons why you need Rupi Kaur’s poetry in your life:
1. She’s smashing patriarchy.
2. She loves hard.
3. She doesn’t hide from trauma.
4. She harnesses her inner strength.
5. Her words are intersectional.
6. She won’t subscribe to colonial beauty standards.
7. She understands that sisterhood is powerful.
8. She keeps it 100.
9. She won’t put up with your bullshit.
10. Her words have healing power.
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