As a self-identified “quiet poet,” the internet offers little information on her background and childhood, which conveys something about Waheed’s personality. The US-based artist began writing at age 11. Painful and poignant, raging and gentle, Nayyirah Waheed encourages self-examination, gives readers reason to be critical, and leaves them with hopeful words that keep us pondering the complexity and depth of her writing. This month’s featured artist wrote my favorite poetry book “salt.” and describes the piece as a “journey through warmth and sharpness.” The book discusses a wide array of issues ranging from the diaspora to colonialism to misogyny, which conveys the fierce interconnectedness of identities. Waheed published a second collection, Nejma in 2015.Trigger warning: This article discusses issues about self-harm Waheed's work has also been quoted by several celebrities as well as being referenced in the 2017 Women's March. After this purge, posts only depicted posts arranged to portray the covers of her poetry collection. In November 2019, Waheed deleted all previous posts on her Instagram site with a note to followers of a desire for a fresh start.

Amassing a following of 697k followers (February 2020), her work appeals to a large audience ranging in ages, race, religions and genders, with her words used as captions and also tattooed onto bodies.

Waheed used social media platforms such as Instagram to post snapshots of her poetry and the work of other poets.

Waheed accused fellow poet Rupi Kaur of plagiarism on her Tumblr page, however Kaur firmly denies this, instead stating that she simply takes inspiration from Waheed: 'we're living in a world where me and so many other artists are writing about similar topics is just a reflection of our times'. The collection has been described by critics as a 'collection of thoughts that build to a quiet crescendo against all the forces of racism, misogyny and xenophobia.' Ĭritics have compared the poetry of Waheed to other contemporary poets like Rupi Kaur and Warsan Shire who have been coupled under the umbrella term of instapoetry. Waheed deviates from the rules and form of traditional poetry through the sporadic use of punctuation, lack of capital letters and short two to three line poems that resemble 'fragments'. is characterized through the use of free verse and simple language.

The collection focuses on a broad range of themes including diaspora, identity, immigration, feminism, misogyny, racism, love and healing.

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