Beyonce’s Muse
The work of "Lemonade" poet Warsan Shire
Born in Kenya before emigrating to the UK, 27-year-old poet Warsan Shire is becoming one of the leading literary voices of her generation. First she attracted an ardent following by posting poems on Tumblr and Twitter. In 2014, she was appointed the first Young Poet Laureate of London. Then, on April 23, she got the seal of approval from Beyonce who credited Shire’s work in Lemonade, the visual album she debuted on HBO. Shire is a feminist poet whose work often focuses on the lives of immigrants, refugees and other disenfranchised, alienated people. Shire thinks of her work as a “documentation, genealogy, preserving the names of the women came before me. To connect, honor, to confront.” Here’s a video of Shire reading a poem that does just that.
