salt.

“I love myself’ the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution. ever. -ism The work by Nayyirah Waheed in her debut poetry collection Salt is necessary. It is a love letter. It is a map for the solitary journey of self-love for young and young at heart women of color. It provides the words that we have always needed to hear and from someone who looks like us. Nayyirah’s poetry is succinct, sweet, and dripping with softness. It expresses the type of raw, aching vulnerability that people yearn for. I discovered Nayyirah Waheed’s poetry on social media like much of her fan base. I saw it everywhere, being reblogged, retweeted, reposted by fellow lovers of words and fell in love. After finding her profile on Instagram, at the time bursting with her poetry and beautiful interpretations of her work from her followers in the forms of photography and art, I was immediately sold. I purchased this collection, Salt, and her follow-up collection Nejma along with another collection that she recommended personally, Bone by Yrsa Daley-Ward, all at once and devoured each of them word by word. Salt is a wonder, unfolding layer upon layer of gentle but critical commentary about race, diaspora, masculinity, and womanhood, and finally, freedom, all in deliberate form. The poetry in Salt comes together as a courageous body of work that dares readers to be eternally soft. These words have the ability to heal and affirm. This collection has been a regular part of my self-care since I picked it up last year. I am grateful for Salt and its familiarity and resonance. Anyone who reads her work will find a piece of themselves right in front of them. If it is possible to find a home in a poem, surely it is here. As she so eloquently puts into a poem titled “you”, “listen to my poems. but do not look for me. look for you” Thank you Nayyirah.

This book of poems (mostly micropoems) and prose poetry is utterly breathtaking. I read it in a single sitting and wanted to read it again and again. nayyirah waheed has taken the unique experience of being an African-American woman and written poems that cut incredibly close to the bone as a mixed Asian-American poet. The grief of diaspora and nonbelonging, the raw open softness of pain, the crystal clarity of the words, hurts like prodding a bruise I carry. And then the next poem is a soft wash of ocean water reminding me that healing in a violent world is a radical act and the lancing of the wound is the beginning of healing from the pain and transforming it before it goes septic in the heart. What has been done with such tiny poems is breathtaking. They are whole cosmos exploding with meaning. Every poet interested in the micropoem form should read this refined, intense collection, which reflects topics as diverse as racism, childhood abandonment, bisexuality, gender, African-American identity, trauma and healing, writing, and love poems, all kinds of love, both bitter salt and honey sweet. It is one of the most accomplished collections I've ever read, far more than much of the collections by authors far more famous. At any price it is a masterclass lesson in form, as well as a deeply moving series of intimate essays. It's not easy. It's not spoon-fed. It is incredibly beautiful and will challenge non black readers, while also offering catharsis to some people of color, especially black women. I haven't been this impressed with a poetry collection in a long time. I can't wait to see what is next from waheed and her poetry.

At first the style seems odd... but as I was reading I suddenly had this realization. The words speak to you and resonate with your soul. The way she writes is different, but that's what makes it so true. Each poem makes you lose your breath at the sheer wonder of it. They are so simple, yet so powerful. Each word is like a blade going into your heart. It makes you feel, think, and ponder life. Whenever I'm sad or angry or even anxious, I read this book and the words seem to calm me... make me feel as if nothing else in the world matters, just the words she writes.. the story that she's telling. I read this book to relax while listening to music and it never fails to help me when I'm stressed. I love this book and will continue to read it. I recommend Salt to anyone who wants to read something moving because it will surely leave a mark on you whether you read it once or a thousand times.

The language is so simple and direct but so cutting and digging into a lot of things that I wish to reflect in my own personal interpretations of myself. As a male person exploring integrating more vulnerability and truth into my life for better relationships this book offers valuable words. A friend shared this quote on a social media outlet and led me to this book: "You will find your way. It is in the same place as your love. -seek "

This book is amazing. Nayyirah Waheed has a way of articulating the most poignant and deep truths in a matter of a few sentences. It seems almost impossible, like some kind of sorcery, the way she can unfold entire worlds with just a few words. She speaks the truth and lets you listen, and the result is incredibly moving and soul shattering in the best way. I found myself crying basically throughout the whole book, not necessarily because her poetry is sad (although it can be), but because it just felt so...resonant. She and I come from very different backgrounds and have probably lived very different lives in a lot of ways, but she manages to tap into something so deep and so true and so universal that I felt like she was speaking for me, too. After I read the whole thing I immediately bought another copy to lend out, and have been texting my friends poems relevant to their lives near constantly (Nayyirah, I basically only speak in your poetry these days). I couldn't recommend this book more highly, it has become a bible of sorts for me and I can't wait to read more of her work.

your soul stained my shoulders. my whole life smells like you. this will take time. undoing you from my blood. -the works The mere fact that most of this book is highlighted says everything. I saw a quote on Instagram and say Nayyirah Waheed's name upon it, I'm so thankful I saw it and it led me to discover her words.Simple yet powerful words that left me feeling so much. There is this rumble of restrained anger behind some words where in others it isn't held back. There is hurt pain, accepting, healing and so much more. It was like these words had been beaten down by the world yet stood up straight and finally fighting back when they realised they were more than the boxes the world put them in. you. not wanting me. was the beginning of me wanting myself. thank you -the hurt I have always enjoyed poetry, especially brutal poetry, the harsh side of life and when people with rough lives put all their passion, anger, raw energy into words and lay them out for the world. It's really something personal and very brave to allow people to read a part of their soul.I think its time to pick up more poetry book since they seem to leave me so inspired. as a child there was either books or pain. I chose books. -how I became a writer

Nayyirah Waheed's poetry changed me the moment I first read it and continues to open my heart as I sit with it more. Salt is a stark, beautiful collection of works that are startling in their brevity and breathtaking in their profundity. Waheed delves into the essence of the human heart, of womanhood, of the experience of being a person of color living in a centuries-old diaspora. As a white woman, I experience both deep kinship with her words--particularly those that speak to my humanity and womanhood--and also a sense that it is an honor for me to be a witness to her writing on race and ethnicity. Salt sparked something in me that had long lay dormant, and I have been reading and even writing poetry with a gusto and joy I didn't know I missed until I encountered Waheed's work. There is healing and delight and playfulness and lament and righteous anger in this book. Read it, cherish it, and never be the same.

I cannot recommend this work enough. Nayyirah Waheed is a literary magician whose concise and incisive poems simultaneously touch the heart, soul, and mind in ways that heal, wake up, and inspire. All at once profound, authentic, and stunningly beautiful, her poems are also very accessible. Nayyirah Waheed seems to recognize that poetry is not so much about fancy word choice as it is about speaking from the heart, and she articulates what her heart beats without pretension or ostentation, though her words and creativity are undoubtedly thought provoking, soul stirring, and totally compelling...they will have you returning to the bookshelf over and over again to visit them and to share them with others. Absolutely brilliant. I love "salt" and am grateful to Nayyirah Waheed for sharing her gift with the world.

One of my favorite books of poetry. I like to open it at a random page and read a poem every day!

Read this book after seeing some of Waheed's poem. The poems are Angry. Honest. Inspiring. Thought-provoking. I like the themes she covered in the books; beauty myths, the feeling of belonging nowhere that was poignantly addressed, the sense that we live in a world that we don't necessarily run.

I bought this about a month ago and every poem still resonates in me. Nayyirah's poems should be regarded as modern classics of African-American litterature. I have recommended her work to at least one person every day since reading both Salt and Nejma. As important as it is for Africans everywhere to know their history, I think it is even more to know and embrace our artists. "Africa's Lament" is one of the most moving pieces I have ever read. Every page is just as moving. I will teach my children some of her poems and I hope to find these in schools by the time I have mine. Much love, and thank you for wonderful words.

Salt has been one of the best gifts to myself.. it has really opened my eyes to poetry in conveying possibilities of self, connection and love. Nayyirah Waheed's work resonates in so many ways, as an honest embrace of complexities, an exploration of oppression in its many forms, and as a lush yet beautifully succinct expression of loving connections. I have often shared extracts with friends as a way to work thru different experiences & look forward to keep revisiting the richness of poetry in this book.

I absolutely love it