It's not my responsibility to be beautiful. I'm not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.

My favourite people, biggest inspirations and closest friends are all women. Not a coincidence.

Warsan means "good news" and Shire means "to gather in one place". My parents named me after my father's mother, my grandmother. Growing up, I absolutely wanted a name that was easier to pronounce, more common, prettier. But then I grew up and understood the power of a name, the beauty that comes in understanding how your name has affected who you are.

I won't glorify or romanticise heartbreak, for me it was a kind of death and I was forced to keep living.

My alone feels so good, I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude.

I think in Somali, I cuss in Somali, when I'm afraid I reach for somali and this language is very rich, very filling. It's an unflinching language; the crudest most terrible things sound perfectly normal in Somali.

It's not my responsibility to be beautiful. I'm not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.