B次元官网网址淢other / allow me to grow / and do not worry / about spoiled fruit.B次元官网网址�
That is the closing verse of , recently published in Phulkari: The Book, a 150-page collection of the 21-year-old Abbotsford nativeB次元官网网址檚 poems B次元官网网址� and grow she has.
Kaur has developed a large online following of , where she posts some of her poems, and that following has largely gathered over two-and-a-half years, since she began posting her works publicly.
B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 until it really took off that I realized that this could be a book, and that people would buy it, which they are,B次元官网网址� Kaur said.
Phulkari was self-published in May and officially released in July, though she had originally intended to go through a publisher.
B次元官网网址淏ut there were too many changes they wanted to make, and I felt like it kind of compromised my artistic integrity in a way,B次元官网网址� Kaur said.
B次元官网网址淸Self-publishing] is a lot of work because youB次元官网网址檙e doing the marketing, the editing, the designing, everything by yourself. B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 a big investment as well, and thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of risk involved.B次元官网网址�
But that risk appears to have paid off.
B次元官网网址淭he response is really, really good. I had a successful book signing a few weeks ago at the Abbotsford mall, and since then IB次元官网网址檝e been offered book signings in Burnaby and Vancouver,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淲hen I first put out pre-orders, I put out 250 copies minimum, and the pre-order was sold out in less than two weeks. It was amazing, and it was far beyond anything I ever imagined.B次元官网网址�
Part of that payoff B次元官网网址� beside her strong writing abilities and the extensive work spent on marketing B次元官网网址� likely comes from KaurB次元官网网址檚 identity, one she says isnB次元官网网址檛 well-represented in media but which influences her writing.
B次元官网网址淚 get so many messages online, as well, after people read my book, especially from Punjabi Sikh women, who say that itB次元官网网址檚 really refreshing to even just be able to hold the work in their hands of a Punjabi Sikh woman,B次元官网网址� Kaur said.
B次元官网网址淚 talk about universal themes as well, such as heartbreak and love and all that universal stuff, but with an added complexity of my identity.B次元官网网址�
ThatB次元官网网址檚 also reflected in the name of the book; B次元官网网址減hulkariB次元官网网址� is the name for a type of flower work or embroidery in Punjabi culture, which appears in the design of the cover of the book. Each of the six chapters in KaurB次元官网网址檚 book also comes back to that theme.
Read our sidebar to this story, Kaur pushing bast stereotypes in gang violence dialogue, below. If attachment does not work, .
She takes the name Kaur, which is given to all Sikh women B次元官网网址� whereas all Sikh men are given the name Singh B次元官网网址� and one of her poems defines her perspective of the name.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e had these girls that have messaged me and say that it is so surreal to be seeing a book with the name Kaur on it. It drives people absolutely nuts. They love it,B次元官网网址� she said, also pointing to one of her own favourite writers, Rupi Kaur. B次元官网网址淲hen I first held her book in my hands, I felt like crying, that I saw B次元官网网址楰aurB次元官网网址� on a bookshelf.B次元官网网址�
| Harman Kaur in a promotional photo for Chapter 1: The Fraying, "an exploration of that which tears us apart," in Phulkari, her recently published book of poetry. (Preet Sanghera photo/Instagram) |
Kaur didnB次元官网网址檛 always write for herself, saying she specifically wrote on universal terms, speaking in a broad voice to be identifiable with anyone who read her work. But that changed when she started her English degree at Simon Fraser University.
B次元官网网址淚 was such an English enthusiast, and then all of a sudden I hated it. And I just had to look back and say, B次元官网网址榃hy? Why do I hate this so much?B次元官网网址� And itB次元官网网址檚 because I was literally reading works of dead white people from the Renaissance, and I didnB次元官网网址檛 care about dead white men from the Renaissance. B次元官网网址� I guess that encouraged me to even write more. I felt this void from not being able to read what I wanted to, and I just filled that void by writing my own stuff,B次元官网网址� Kaur said.
B次元官网网址淭here are so many stories out there already for different types of people, and I just donB次元官网网址檛 think there are enough stories out there for people like me, so IB次元官网网址檓 just adding to that story.B次元官网网址�
Writing in a way that expresses herself B次元官网网址� penning poems that fit her rather than a generic one-size-fits-all poetry for the broader culture B次元官网网址� feels and looks better, too, Kaur says.
B次元官网网址淚 think that when youB次元官网网址檙e writing, especially in forms like this, if youB次元官网网址檙e not writing what the truth is, itB次元官网网址檚 not satisfying. B次元官网网址� I just had this urge to tell my story, and when youB次元官网网址檙e telling your story, you tell the truth,B次元官网网址� she said.
The book can be found online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and signed copies of the book are . Phulkari is also being sold at Chapters and Indigo in B.C., as well as the Coles bookstore in the Sevenoaks Shopping Centre.
B次元官网网址淚 made sure that was the first place it was available.B次元官网网址�
