Warsan Shire is a multi-talented Somali-British writer and teacher. She was born in Kenya, but immigrated to the UK at the age of 1.

Shire is acclaimed for her poetry, the most famous of which is titled “For Women Who Are Difficult To Love.” She is the author of two poetry collections: 2011’s Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth and 2015’s Her Blue Body.

For Beyoncé’s LEMONADE HBO special, Shire adapted several of her poems to the screen. The poems were narrated by Beyoncé and featured throughout the film.

Among other accolades, Shire was named the 2013-2014 Young Poet Laureate of London and received the African Poetry Prize.

In a 2013 interview with okayafrica, Shire said of her work:

I don’t care about stigma, shame, or bravado. Writing is cathartic for me, a lifeline. It’s about survival and mental health as much as it is about creativity and expression. Vulnerability and transparency is my default setting. I don’t try to intellectualise it.

Learn more about Warsan Shire by reading the Genius article “5 Things You Should Know About Warsan Shire, The Poet Behind Beyoncé’s LEMONADE.”