At 23-years-old, Rupi Kaur has taken the internet by storm and established herself as a respected poet, writer, spoken word performer and artist. Her work beautifully describes issues regarding femininity, sexuality, racial identity, abuse, love, and loss. Before you take a look at her work, here is everything you need to know about this inspiring young woman.
Born in Punjab, India, Rupi immigrated to Toronto, Canada with her family at the age of five, without being able to speak any English. An artistic soul by nature, she gravitated towards drawing and painting until she was able to pick up the new language and delve into English-written books. She soon began writing to express her own inner thoughts and emotions, gaining online attention by posting her work on social media platforms, including Instagram and Tumblr.
After fans began begging her to release a book, in 2014 she self-published her first poetry collection, "Milk and Honey," which sold 17,000 copies and became a New York Times bestseller. She currently travels throughout Canada to perform her work in person and continues to post new poetry on her social media platforms.
In addition to her status as a respected poet, Rupi's vulnerability and strength when writing about her experiences as a woman of color have made her a feminist role model. Her work does not shy away from confronting controversial subjects, such as rape, slut shaming, beauty standards, and menstruation. In fact, her menstruation-themed photo series, aptly titled "period," caused an uproar in March of 2015 when one of the pictures was removed twice from Instagram.
If you are as inspired by Rupi Kaur as I am, I encourage you to keep up with her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her official website, rupikaur.com. You can also purchase a copy of her poetry collection, "Milk and Honey," on Amazon. Lastly, watch Rupi in action, performing a piece of her spoken word poetry in the video below!
