How do you redefine love when your idea of love is something that's so violent? When your idea of passion is anger, how do you fix that?
I was born in India, and we came from a poor family and lived in a rural village. My dad came over to Canada as a refugee, and years later, we were able to join him.
I love Roald Dahl, Sharon Olds, Nizar Qabbani, who is a poet, and Junot Diaz.
I grew up thinking I was going to change the world, but not because I was treated like a special snowflake. It's a silly label. People are starving. We need to feed them. That's the end of the conversation.
I won the speech competition in class, and I always say this was my first 'spoken word performance.' It was the first time I got on stage and recited something. I fell in love with the stage at the age of 12.
Before I begin to write, I listen to music that inspires me. I listen to folk Punjabi music, sufi music.
Poetry and art are key influences in changing how we look at taboos.
I did not start out thinking I'm going to become a feminist poet. It was a tag I was given.
I like B.C. because it's so beautiful, but I think Toronto's the greatest place because every corner of the world is here.
Feeling 'ugly' or 'unattractive' seeps into your life like poison, and it affects everything. Feeling worthless does the same. We internalise these limitations, and it takes an internal revolution to get rid of them.
When I was little, my dad told me about Anandpur Sahib and the court of Guru Gobind Singh. That we came from a tradition of poets, warriors and artists who created when it was illegal to create... we're groomed to be reckless in the defense of what we feel is right.
