Plus, an exclusive first look at the cover of Healing Through Words.
Unapologetically outspoken and honest,Rupi Kaurhas connected with millions of readers.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This book is a series of educational exercises.
Jeremy Chan/Getty Images; Simon & Schuster
It’s very interactive and it’s meant to help the reader/writer heal through their own writing.
What was your inspiration for creating this book?
I didn’t think I wanted to even be a writer.
Healing Through Words by Rupi Kaur.
I was just doing it for fun.
I searched for tools for writing to help me overcome those writing block periods and make writing easier.
And I just couldn’t find those tools out there.
I’m writing it for all of my readers.
Sometimes finding inspiration and getting creative is work.
When someone tells me they’re not creative."
Can you talk about that?
That makes me sad because I’m like, who told you you’re not creative?
I think that’s not true at all.
And creativity is innate in all of us because we are alive and we are human.
Creativity is what has allowed us to survive a millennia.
Let’s discuss the free writing process.
What’s the benefit of free writing versus writing with quality or narrative in mind?
For me, the goal of free writing is coming up with my first draft.
And so free writing, that’s how I like to approach my daily writing.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about poetry?
Poetry was in my community.
I feel like the biggest misconception is that there are rules to play by.
We’re living in a global world where we redefine what poetry means to us.
What do you hope readers will take away from this book and their experience with free writing?
I am equally excited and equally nervous, which I guess are kind of the same emotion.
I hope that this book serves at a source of continuing those workshops.
I think it will take readers on like an endless road of self exploration.
Yes, especially on this tour, I came back home with like a shelf of books.
I think one of the most important tips is there’s no rules for how to do this.
You don’t have to start from the beginning to end.
Just turn the page and come back to it later.
I want this process to feel safe and very fruitful.
This book is yours and I really give a shot to be intentional about saying that it’s yours.
That’s why there’s all this space to write.
And so I hope that folks will give themselves that time and space.
You created the illustration on the cover of the book.
What is the meaning behind the cover art?
I would say one of the most popular pieces in that book is about self and evolving.
The illustration of that poem is a little drawing of a woman who’s sitting in that position.
That poem, that was my north star when writingHealing Through Words.
I wanted the cover to look like it’s belonging to a family with my other book covers.
It’s the guardian overlooking all the collections of poetry.
