Writers Seminar – Station of lost thoughts -K

Who is Rupi Kaur?

Rupi Kaur is an Indian born Canadian poet and author. She started off as an insta- peot but soon began getting recognition, during which she published her first book called “milk and honey.” Through that, she gained more popularity and recognition. “milk and honey” sold over 2.5 million copies and was translated in 25 languages. Rupi Kaur’s second book called “the sun and her flowers” sold over 3 million copies and was translated in 40 languages. Rupi Kaur is now known as a worldwide sensation.

Typicality of Rupi’s work.

Writing Subject:

Rupi writing is mainly about love, heartbreak, womanhood and growth.

Writing Style:

Rupi writing style was created through her experience of learning english
She is also inspired by her culture and heritage
Rupi uses Gurmukhi script in all her work
Her writing style includes no capital letters and only using the period for punctuation
These techniques are used in Punjabi, which she imports into her writing
By doing this Rupi feels that she is connecting back to where she came from and her culture
She also writes like this because Rupi feels that it honers her culture
Furthermore Rupi also says another reason she writes like this is because she enjoys the equality of letters and that this style reflects her world view

Theme:

Her books have a very simple theme inside
Rupi’s book have her simple drawings inside
She makes them simple because she doesn’t want her readers to agonize over every word
Because of her simple theme she finds it easier to connect with her audience

Genre of Rupi’s Work.

the sun and her flowers

poetry

milk and honey

poetry

home body

poetry

About Her Work.

Rupi has many recurring themes that are present in all of her work. Some of these themes are love, heartbreak, family, and gender roles. She writes about her own experiences in all of these categories and how they make her feel. Her ability to describe all her feelings in just a few lines, is something that makes her unique from other poets. She also prefers simplicity in her work, so it’s easy to get a strong understanding of what she is trying to portray.

Read Aloud with Rupi Kaur.

In these two videos you will see Rupi present two of her pieces of poetry from her book “the sun and her flowers”.

Video 1 is called “ advice I would have given my mother on her wedding day”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhfT9cQQ82c

Video 2 is called “timeless”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcjQIIZemwI

Successes.

Bestsellers:
- milk and honey:
  - No. 1 New York Times bestseller
    - Since 2015, book have sold more than 4.5 million copies
- the sun and her flowers:
  - No. 1 New York Times bestseller
  - No. 1 Global bestseller
    - Sold more than 2 million copies in the first three months
Awards:
- Goodreads Choice Awards Best Poetry
- Writer of the Decade

Advice from Rupi Kaur.

don’t overthink it
break your lines up
break the rules
decide your font
decide your book cover
embrace complexity
keep it short
be a self-appointed representation
writing is not a craft
believe in yourself

Annotation (poem above).

She doesn’t need someone else to make her whole, she is already independant by herself.She senses the need of independence. She craves it and wants to be the one to build herself up. We don’t need others for progression, as we can do it all ourselves. We can shine bright enough and become the best versions of ourselves, independently. Enough to even light a whole city.Our wants can also be beneficial to most parties, as together we can rise and endure. When with the right people, even the impossible, can be possible. Enough to set the stage of life ablaze.

Personal emulation.

( My emulation from this presentation)

Line used. ” I want to have you.”

” I want to have you,

but.

The two of us are like love and death,

two souls who were bound to never happen.

We were the definition of perfect

but.

Our timing was wrong.

I want to have you.”

Emulation from Steven King Presentation.

“His hand closed around mine. His grip was tighter the usual. I looked up to see his face worried then usual yet there was a calmness as well. He looked down at me his eyes shinning with excitement and worry. Confusion fell over me. He tightened his grip yet again and then he whispered, Run!”

Conclusion.

Significant:
- Inspires others with her pieces, mostly women
- Her pieces are usually centered around the topics of women-hood, inequality, love, and peace
Inspiration to us:
- Uses simple diction
- Deep meanings in certain poems
- Can interpret it in different ways

Author Review: Rupi Kaur – The Uproar