Warsan Shire
| Warsan Shire ورسان شرى | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Warsan Shireh 1988 Kenya |
| Occupation | poet |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Somali |
| Notable works | Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth (2011) |
| Notable awards | Brunel University African Poetry Prize, Young Poet Laureate for London |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Warsan Shire (Somali: Warsan Shireh, Arabic: ورسان شاير) (born 1988) is a Somali-British writer, poet, editor and teacher.
Personal life
Shire was born in 1988 in Kenya to Somali parents. She later emigrated to the United Kingdom.[1]
Shire has a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. As of 2015, she primarily resides in London.[1]
Career
Shire began writing poetry as a way to connect with her Somali heritage and her roots in Somalia.[2] Her verse first gained notice after her poem "For Women Who Are Difficult to Love" went viral.[3]
In 2011, Shire released Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth, a poetry pamphlet published by flipped eye. She subsequently wrote two other chapbooks: Our Men Do Not Belong To Us, published in 2014 through Prairie Schooner, and grief has it's blue hands in my hair, which is slated to be released in 2015 through flipped eye.[1]
Shire has read her poetry in various artistic venues throughout the world, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, North America, South Africa and Kenya.[3] Her poems have been republished in various literary publications, such as the Poetry Review, Magma and Wasafiri.[3] Additionally, Shire's verse has been featured in the Salt Book of Younger Poets (Salt, 2011) and Ten: The New Wave (Bloodaxe, 2014) collections. They have also been translated into a number of languages, including Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish and Estonian.[1]
As of 2015, Shire is working on her first full poetry anthology. She also serves as the poetry editor at SPOOK magazine. In addition, she teaches poetry workshops both globally and online for cathartic and aesthetic purposes.[1]
Awards
Shire has received various awards for her art. In April 2013, she was presented with Brunel University's inaugural African Poetry Prize,[2] an award earmarked for poets who have yet to publish a full-length poetry collection.[3] She was chosen from a shortlist of six candidates out of a total 655 entries.[2]
In October 2013, Shire was also selected from a shortlist of six young bards as the first Young Poet Laureate for London. The honour is part of the London Legacy Development Corporation's Spoke programme, which focuses on promoting arts and culture in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding area.[4]
In 2014, Shire was also chosen as Queensland, Australia's poet in residence. She therein liaised with the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts over a six week period.[1]
Works
- Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth (flipped eye, 2011)
- Our Men Do Not Belong To Us (Prairie Schooner, 2014)
- grief has it's blue hands in my hair (flipped eye, 2015)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Bio". Warsan Shire. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Somali poet Warsan Shire on her African poetry award". BBC. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Warsan Shire Wins Brunel University African Poetry Prize 2013". Books Live. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ "Warsan Shire announced as London's first young poet laureate". BBC. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.