“My parents didn't allow me to do all the things the cool kids could do. I was quiet, reserved, and at some points, taken complete advantage of simply because of my sex and gender. For a while, in high school, I was so deep into self-hate.”

Indian-Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author

Rupi Kaur is an Indian-Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Punjab, India, she moved to Canada with her family when she was young. She is known for her poetry and for the public presence that helped make her work widely read. She began performing poetry in 2009 and later gained attention through Instagram before becoming widely known for three poetry collections. Her work is often associated with spoken performance and the digital platform that first expanded her audience.