“ . . . creativity keeps the world alive, yet, everyday we are asked to be ashamed of honoring it, wanting to live our lives as artists. i’ve carried the shame of being a ‘creative’ since i came to the planet; have been asked to be something different, more, less my whole life. thank spirit, my wisdom is deeper than my shame, and i listened to who i was. i want to say to all the creatives who have been taught to believe who you are is not enough for this world, taught that a life of art will amount to nothing, know that who we are, and what we do is life. when we create, we are creating the world. remember this, and commit.”
― Nayyirah Waheed

Nayyirah Waheed is the author of a two popular and oft-quoted self-published collections, Salt. and Nejma. (Recommended.) Her poetry is wise and atmospheric in style. She cuts to the heart of things and appears to me to be quietly and confidently persistent in her work. I like it very much.