Warsan Shire
| Warsan Shire ورسان شرى | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Warsan Shire 1 August 1988 (age 28) Kenya |
| Occupation | Poet, writer |
| 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 | |
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WarsanShire | |
Warsan Shire (Somali: Warsan Shire, Arabic: ورسان شرى, born 1 August 1988) is a London–based- Somali writer, poet, editor and teacher.[1] She has received the Brunel University's African Poetry Prize, chosen from a shortlist of six candidates out of a total 655 entries.[2]
Life
Born on 1 August 1988 in Kenya to Somali parents, Shire emigrated with her family to the United Kingdom at the age of one.[3] She has a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. As of 2015, she primarily resides in London.[3]
In 2011, she released Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth, a poetry pamphlet published by flipped eye. Her full collection is to be released in 2016, also through flipped eye.[3]
Shire has read her poetry in various artistic venues throughout the world, including in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, North America, South Africa and Kenya.[4] Her poems have been published in various literary publications, including the Poetry Review, Magma and Wasafiri.[4] 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.[3]
As of 2016, Shire is working on her first full-length poetry collection, having put out a limited release pamphlet called Her Blue Body in 2015.[5] She serves as the poetry editor at SPOOK magazine and she teaches poetry workshops both globally and online for cathartic and aesthetic purposes.[3]
Shire's poetry featured prominently in Beyoncé's 2016 feature-length film Lemonade.[6]
Personal life
Shire has four siblings: Saaid Shire, Samawado Farah, Suban Farah, and Salma Farah. She first discovered that she loved writing when she was a child. As a teenager she joined a youth club which gave her the passion to become a poet.
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.[4] She was chosen from a shortlist of six candidates out of a total 655 entries.[2]
In October 2013, Shire was 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.[7]
In 2014, Shire was also chosen as Queensland, Australia's poet in residence, liaising with the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts over a six-week period.[3]
Works
- Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth (flipped eye, 2011), ISBN 1905233299
- Her Blue Body (flap pamphlet series, flipped eye, 2015)
- Lemonade: A Visual Album by Beyoncé (2016)
References
- ↑ Okeowo, Alexis (21 October 2015). "The Writing Life of a Young, Prolific Poet". The New Yorker.
- 1 2 3 "Somali poet Warsan Shire on her African poetry award". BBC. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Bio". WarsanShire.com. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Warsan Shire Wins Brunel University African Poetry Prize 2013". Books Live. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ "New Warsan Shire Pamphlet". Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ↑ Leaf, Aaron (23 April 2016). "Ibeyi, Laolu Senbanjo, Warsan Shire Featured In Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'". Okay Africa. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ↑ "Warsan Shire announced as London's first young poet laureate". BBC. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.