On the evening of Nov. 12, hundreds of eager fans lined up at the Canadian Museum of History for a chance to hear Rupi Kaur present her new book, The Sun and Her Flowers. Ottawa was the last stop on her tour.
For the first time, she was doing a Q&A session, which was hosted by Komal Minhas, a film producer, media entrepreneur, and Carleton grad.
“This event, for me, is about showcasing what we can do as young women of colour,” Minhas said. “That’s why I think it’s so impactful, because the experiences she describes, discusses, and talks about, and how she shares it—it hits you in the soul.”
Kaur started off by reading a selection of poems from the five sections comprising The Sun and Her Flowers. Each section of the book dealt with different experiences and stages in life such as heartbreak, insecurity, the struggles of immigration, new beginnings, and triumph.
The poems ranged from relatable to funny and empowering. Some readings came with background music that itensified the experience, and Kaur even invited an excited volunteer to come on stage and read aloud with her.
During the Q&A session, Kaur delved into topics such as her own immigrant parents. Kaur expressed that she felt greatly indebted to her parents for all the sacrifices they had made for her.
“Everything that I am, you did,” Kaur said of her mother.
Kaur also gave a word of advice to refugees, immigrants, and second-generation children.
“You’re allowed to take up space, and you’re allowed to live and do, and you deserve to do all the things that you dream of doing,” she said.
Kaur also discussed her involvement with the visual aspect of her book. Minhas told the audience that Kaur created all the illustrations alongside her poems as well as the cover design for her books. Kaur explained that she started to feel guilty for leaving her passion for art behind so she decided to incorporate art back into her poetry.
“Art was my first love . . . poetry was kind of like the mistress, who just came, swooped me away and I never turned back,” she said.
Kaur said she had initially thought she would have to attend law school as a last resort after failing at making a living from poetry and design.
“How, they said, can you possibly make a career out of poetry?” she said.
But as her work took off, she found herself surprised.
“I never in a million years imagined that life would be like this when I first published that book,” she said.
The final question that came up was one of legacy, and why Kaur does what she does.
“If I can live a life where I am able to continue to express honestly, and give people access to that, because I love to share, then I would be very happy,” she said.
Photo by Meghan Hickey
