Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet, illustrator, photographer, and author. Born in Punjab, India, Kaur immigrated to Canada at a young age with her family. She began performing poetry in 2009 and rose to fame on Instagram, becoming a popular poet through her three collections of poetry.

In March 2015, as part of her university photography project, Kaur posted a series of photographs on Instagram showing herself with menstrual blood stains. The image was removed by Instagram, prompting Kaur to write a viral critique of the company's actions. This incident led to increased traction for her poetry. Her initially self-published debut poetry collection, Milk and Honey (2014), was later reprinted and achieved widespread commercial success. With a minimalist style, Kaur's work explores themes such as South Asian identity, immigration, and femininity, often drawing inspiration from her own life experiences. Her poetry is accompanied by her own line drawings that address stark subject matters.

Following the success of Milk and Honey, Kaur described facing challenges while creating her second collection, The Sun and Her Flowers (2017). Her third collection, Home Body (2020), reflects her desire to feel less pressure for commercial success and is influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kaur maintains a substantial social media following, especially on Instagram. Since its release, Milk and Honey has sold over 2.5 million copies in 25 languages and spent 77 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Kaur's influence on the modern poetry scene is notable, though she has also encountered critical scrutiny, including parodies and allegations of plagiarism. Despite this, she has been recognized by the BBC and Elle, and was controversially named the "Writer of the Decade" by The New Republic.

In 2022, Kaur released her fourth book, Healing Through Words, which provides guided writing exercises for readers. She also self-produced "Rupi Kaur Live," a poetry special that debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.