salt.

“I love myself’thequietest.simplest.mostpowerful.revolution.ever.-ismThe 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.

In a world of cation and fear 'salt.' proves to be neither cautious nor fearful to tell the truth about this very same world. Many artists today worry about political correctness and everything is conducted 'carefully' or they merely deal with frivolous topics.However, this is not the case with nayyirah waheed's salt. Waheed fearlessly touches on all the topics you are only 'allowed' to talk about in certain spaces or within seminars and classrooms. Waheed creates a platform outside these 'intended' platforms and helps you confront these topics in an non-aggressive but constructive manner. This isn't a mere tantrum nor a simple love poem but it is life and art manifesting itself in a very unique manner. I have never read anything like it before.Those who enjoy work by e.e. cummings will naturally fall in love with salt. And even those who may not be huge fanatics of poetry, salt. is a marvelous way to explore your hidden love for poetry. There is a gentle breaking down and building up that happens throughout the book in neither positive nor negative ways, but as an illustration of how this is the normal progression of life.In terms of readability, it is an easy and quick read for the lazy eye but a core-moving and soul-changing read for the conscious reader. If you have questions and need answers, this book will help you find those answers within yourself. A sort of guide to self-love and self-worth. It is all the right things in life exquisitely put together.

This book has poems that will challenge your thinking, poems that comfort your soul, and poems that validate how you’ve felt ALL your life. Definitely one to keep on the shelf.

The media could not be loaded.  Nayyirah Waheed’s poems captivated me. She has a way with words that transport a person. The whole collection is magic, if you are looking for something to touch your soul, definitely read her book.I was expecting the original white book cover but it doesn’t take away from the collection.

Thoughtful, searing, raw, and beautiful poems. Waheed carefully selects each word and what looks simple on the surface actually holds great power.

Waheed's words brought me instantly to tears with her capture of what it is to be female, what it is to be away from your mother country. Direct to the heart of experience, poignant, kind and affirming. My words are entirely inadequate to express her profound reach into soul deep experiences.

I absolutely love it

If you enjoy this style, or even if you don't, please give salt. a try. The economy of words to convey so much intensity of the human experience is jaw-dropping. I love how accessible this style is, and nayyirah waheed, as the pioneer of this style, wields it expertly. The poems are concise, moving, and beautifully impactful. Couldn't recommend it more.

Me ha gustado mucho, fácil de entender incluso estando escrito en inglés. Recomendable

THE DELIVER WAS FASTER THAN I EXPECTED, I ENJOY EVERY POEM AND YOU CAN READ IT WHENEVER YOU NEED IT NO MATTER IF THERE IS NO SEQUENCE

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