Nayyirah Waheed

Nayyirah Waheed is a poet and author who has published two books of poetry.

Early life

Not much is known about Waheed's background and childhood, with Waheed describing herself as a "quiet poet" who doesn't share much online about her life.[1]

Career

Waheed has published two books of poetry titled salt. (2013) and nejma (2014). Her poetry revolves around the themes of love, identity, race, and feminism, and are categorized by her use of punctuation, lowercase letters, and the brevity of her words. After finding it difficult to first publish salt., Waheed decided to self-publish even though her work was highly criticized at the time.[2] She has since amassed a loyal following on social media, particularly on Instagram, where she currently has over 611,000 followers,[3] and both salt. and nejma have been highly praised by critics and studied in classrooms.[2]

Waheed's poetry has been covered online and in the media, with her work highlighted in places such as Vibe,[4] Essence,[5] W Magazine,[6] Teen Vogue,[7] The Guardian,[8] and the New York Daily News,[9] Waheed's poems have also being quoted and praised by celebrities and actors such as Meghan Markle,[10] and Rowan Blanchard,[11] along with being referenced by women who took part in the 2017 Women's March.[12]

Reception

Waheed's collection salt. has been described as "lines filled with force and grit"[13] and a "collection of thoughts that build to a quiet crescendo against all the forces of racism, misogyny and xenophobia."[8] Her poetry has been praised for calling "out to care for what is most imperiled, and how words can keep us going."[8] Jet Magazine said that her poetry will make readers want to re-evaluate their lives "as each poem breaks down your emotions and leaves you picking them up off the floor, piece by piece.[14]

While her work was originally criticized for not following the more traditional rules of poetry, fans of Waheed's work praise her use of full stops and two to three lined poems.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Decolonize Your Mind: Read Nayyirah Waheed" by Tanvi Yenna, KRUI-FM, University of Iowa, August 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Daftuar, Sawti. “A poem for your soul.” The Hindu, July 31, 2016. Accessed March 19, 2017. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/A-poem-for-your-soul/article14517162.ece
  3. ↑ Luc, Helen. "These 21 Powerful Nayyirah Waheed Poems About Love Are Totally Inspiring." Your Tango, March 17, 2017. Accessed March 19, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Afeni Shakur: A Mother’s Love" by nayyirah waheed, Vibe, May 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ "12 Poignant Lines Of Poetry From Young Black Women To Inspire You Daily" by Danielle Kwateng-Clark, Essence, March 21, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Florence Welch, Book Club Enthusiast, Gets Candid About the Literature That Changed Her Life" by Emilia Petrarca, W Magazine, October 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rowan Blanchard on Women’s March Speech and Intersectional Feminism" by Crissy Milazzo, Teen Vogue, January 23, 2017
  8. 1 2 3 "Words for solace and strength: poems to counter the election fallout – and beyond" by Cora Currier, The Guardian, November 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "How to set a goal and achieve it: The 20 books I read in 2016" by Atiba Rogers, New York Daily News, December 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Meghan Markle writes about stigmatisation of girls for having their periods in article to mark International Women's Day" by Harriet Alexander, The Telegraph, March 8, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Rowan Blanchard on Women’s March Speech and Intersectional Feminism" by Crissy Milazzo, Teen Vogue, January 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Powerful Images From Female Photographers at the Women’s March" by Laura Mallonee, Wired Magazine, January 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "How to set a goal and achieve it: The 20 books I read in 2016" by Atiba Rogers, New York Daily News, December 29, 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Best Poems From Instagram’s Favorite Nayyirah Waheed" by Melissa Henderson, Jet Magazine, March 22, 2017.
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