Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mouthmark Book of Poetry | 2013 | Warsan Shire | Buy |
| 2 | The Pity | 2014 | Warsan Shire | Buy |
| 3 | Seven New Generation African Poets | 2014 | Warsan Shire | Buy |
| 4 | Halal If You Hear Me | 2019 | Warsan Shire | Buy |
| 5 | Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different | 2021 | Warsan Shire | Buy |
“Warsan Shire’s anthology appearances place her alongside other poets working in similar territory: migration, diaspora, identity, and resistance. Seven New Generation African Poets positioned her within a broader literary movement, while Halal If You Hear Me gathered Muslim voices in American poetry. Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different collected writing from people who refused to conform to expectations.”
Shire gained wide recognition when Beyonce used her poetry in the visual album Lemonade (2016). But her anthology work shows that she had been building a reputation in literary circles well before that. The Mouthmark Book of Poetry (2013) and The Pity (2014) are early appearances that document her rise through the British and international poetry scenes.
Her solo collections, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth (2011) and Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head (2022), are where most readers encounter her work first. These anthology appearances provide additional poems and context that her individual books do not contain.