Warsan Shire, born in Kenya in 1988 to Somali parents, is a writer and poet who grew up in London. She is the author of the chapbooks Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (2011) and Her Blue Body (2015).
Shire’s poems discuss gender, war, sex, and culture. In an interview, she noted, “Character driven poetry is important for me–it’s being able to tell the stories of those people, especially refugees and immigrants, that otherwise wouldn’t be told, or they’ll be told really inaccurately. And I don’t want to write victims, or martyrs, or vacuous stereotypes…”
Shire is poetry editor of Spook Magazine. In 2014, she was named the first Young Poet Laureate for London and chosen as poet-in-residence for Queensland, Australia. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
Information from Shire’s website and the Poetry Foundation.