It is less about breaking the rules of English (although that’s pretty fun) but more about tying in my own history and heritage within my work.Author, poet, artist, illustrator, performer A visual manifestation and ode to my identity as a diasporic Punjabi Sikh woman. The only punctuation that exists within Gurmukhi script is a period – represented through the following symbol: | So in order to symbolize and preserve these small details of my mother language, I ascribe them within my work. A visual representation of what i want to see more of within the world: equallness. I also feel there is a level of equality this visuality brings to the work. Within the Gurmukhi script, there are no uppercase or lowercase letters. Punjabi is written in either Shahmukhi or Gurmukhi script. When I began writing poetry, I could read and understand my mother tongue (Punjabi), but I hadn’t yet developed the skill set to write poetry in it. The hustle and bustle of those years has been one of my favorite memories till date. My family, friends and I hand sold copies at local events, and we tried to get copies at local stores. Then, in November 2014, I self-published using CreateSpace. And so, I edited and designed the book, cover to cover over a span of one to two months. I couldn’t be held back by this gatekeeper who was never going to pay attention to me anyway. That’s when I set my eyes on self-publishing, regardless of what the creative writing professor had said. I realized that my work read differently, when read in its entirety, and separating them didn’t make any sense.

I felt I was doing a disservice to my larger body of work by plucking pieces out of the collection, throwing them out there in the world, hoping they would land. As I was in the middle of picking and choosing which pieces to submit, I came upon a realization.

The result was one rejection after another. I started submitting individual poems to anthologies, magazines, and journals. To surpass the gatekeeper would be looked down upon by my literary peers. I then asked them if self-publishing was a good route to take. I was told that I had a better chance having individual poems published in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. They said poetry basically never got published. I asked a creative writing professor what I needed to do in order to get published, and their response was don’t bother. She feels most at home when creating art, performing her poetry onstage, and spending time with family and friends.Īfter writing and performing poetry for many years, I was inspired to publish my work. I was in writing workshops – that whole deal. Kaur’s work encompasses love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, and migration. Her shows are poetic theatrical experiences interlaced with Kaur’s own touch of stand-up. Kaur has also graced stages across the globe and completed another sold-out tour in 2023.

Rise was showcased at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and is now available on Amazon Prime Video. Kaur also wrote and narrated an original poem for the short film Rise with Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine. In 2022, Kaur released her fourth book, Healing Through Words, another bestseller and a journey of guided writing exercises to help readers explore their creativity.Īs she has done from the very beginning, Kaur self-produced Rupi Kaur Live (2021), the first-of-its-kind poetry special on Amazon Prime Video. She was also regarded as “writer of the decade” by the New Republic and recognized on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. These collections have sold over 11 million copies and have been translated into over 43 languages, with milk and honey surpassing Homer’s Odyssey as the best-selling poetry of all time. Next came its artistic siblings, the sun and her flowers (2017) and home body (2020), both debuting at #1 on bestseller lists across the world. A breakout literary phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestselling author, Rupi Kaur wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first poetry collection, milk and honey (2014).

Rupikuar