Nayyirah Waheed facts for kids

Nayyirah Waheed is a poet and writer. She has written two poetry books. Many people call her "the most famous poet on Instagram." Nayyirah Waheed is a private person. She does not share much about her life. But her poems are very popular online. People often share them on social media. Her poetry is known for being short and simple. It is also very touching. Her poems talk about love, who you are, race, and women's rights.

About Nayyirah Waheed's Life

Nayyirah Waheed is a very private poet. She does not share many details about her childhood. She calls herself a "quiet poet." She does not post much about her personal life online.

We know that Nayyirah started writing when she was eleven years old. Her English teacher asked her to write a poem. It was for a local newspaper. Since then, she has published two books. She has also gained many fans on Instagram. Today, she has over 590,000 followers there. On her Instagram page, she often shares her own poems. She also shares poems by other writers. One of her friends and fellow poets is Yrsa Daley-Ward.

Poets Who Influenced Her

Nayyirah Waheed says her favorite poet is Sonia Sanchez. In an interview, Waheed talked about Sanchez. She said she loves Sanchez's "imagery." This means how Sanchez uses words to create pictures in your mind. Waheed also admired how Sanchez "weaves" words together.

Nayyirah learned a lot from reading Sanchez's work. She learned how to use strong images and energy in her own poems. Waheed also says that Maya Angelou is another poet who influenced her. Both Sonia Sanchez and Maya Angelou are famous Black female poets. Because of their influence, Nayyirah Waheed often writes about race. She celebrates her own Black identity in her poetry.

Nayyirah Waheed's Poetry Books

Nayyirah Waheed has published two poetry books. The first is called salt. (published in 2013). Her second book is Nejma (published in 2015).

salt.

It was hard for Nayyirah to find a publisher for salt. at first. So, she decided to publish it herself. Some people criticized her work back then. But after she became popular on social media, things changed. Both salt. and Nejma are now highly praised. They are even studied in schools.

In 2019, Nayyirah Waheed released special "expansion" versions of both books. Her poems in salt. became very famous. This happened through her social media accounts. These include Twitter and Instagram. The poems in salt. focus on themes like love, who you are, race, and women's rights. Her style is unique. She often uses special punctuation. She also uses lowercase letters. And her words are very brief.

Nejma

After salt. became a success, Waheed published her second book. It is called Nejma.

There was a disagreement between Nayyirah Waheed and another poet, Rupi Kaur. Waheed said that Kaur had copied some of her ideas. Kaur said she did not copy. However, Kaur did say that Nayyirah Waheed's work inspired her.