Welcome to Women Writing! It’s my pleasure to feature Kelly Kaur in today’s issue of Women Writing.
About the author…
Kelly Kaur was awarded the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, the Calgary South Asian's Outstanding Arts and Culture award, nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and won Honourable Mention in the International Human Rights Art Movement in New York. Kaur’s poem, “A Singaporean’s Love Affair,” landed on the moon in February 2024 — the first historic library and an Artemis Accords Heritage Site. Her novel, Letters to Singapore, will go up in 2026. Kaur has a passion for human rights and is a creative writing instructor and Special Projects Editor for the International Human Rights Art Movement, New York. She has a children’s book, Howdy, I’m Singh Hari. Her creative works have been danced to on stage, displayed on beer cans, at museums and art galleries, placed outdoors at Leighton Art Centre, and is on a permanent display at the Little Museum of Poetry, il Piccolo Museum Della Poesia, Chiesa di S. Cristoforo, in Piacenza, Italy. She is a speaker and an educator. Kelly goes back to Singapore every year to be with her family. She loves the Rockies in Calgary where she lives and plays.
On a writing routine …
I write when I can. It’s late, and I am inspired to complete this questionnaire. It just feels right. Sometimes, I am stuck on that long plane trip from Calgary to Singapore, or back, and I watch people and conjure stories in my mind. On most days, i escape from grading those university essays and write a poem or two. I write when I can. I write when I have to. I am grateful that I can steal moments of brilliance for myself.
On writing spaces …
I love my office space on the second floor of my home that overlooks the park. On some days, I anchor myself in the big, black office chair and spin a little to escape into a mood or mode. Dream. Visualize. rite. maybe, read. I was in Singapore a few weeks ago, and I found inspiration everywhere. Mum lives five minutes from the beach. As I trudged under the tunnel, I emerge and face the beach. The trees sway, the people hustle and bustle, and my memories overload. Stories. Poems. Feelings. I store them all within.
On writing communities …
I try to attend launches and readings. I attend online workshops or meetings. I look for anything that captures my interest.
“Your story is worth sharing. I want to know about your experiences. I am curious about your thoughts about love, children, marriage, culture, customs, race, racism...”
On challenges …
All the time. I yearn for that magical house facing the Rockies in Banff. Unlimited income. No distractions. However, as a university lecturer, I love teaching, but it does sap some parts of my energy. After teaching three classes and grading endless university essays, I need a break from the written word. Lol. I need silence and solitude. Sometimes, I am bone tired. My stories may play in my mind, but I am too tired to create.
On the best advice …
Start from here—right now. Just write the first page. Reminder to self—you can do this. Good enough. Amazing enough.
On the worst advice …
You need to get up in the morning and write. I am not a morning person. I couldn’t do it. I write whenever I want and can.
On advice from personal experiences …
Your story is worth sharing. I want to know about your experiences. I am curious about your thoughts about love, children, marriage, culture, customs, race, racism...
On rekindling creativity …
I like to send things off—hope they get accepted and published. It is a personal victory since I only started writing five years ago after giving up for over twenty years. When I found my works had landed on the moon, published on beer cans, displayed in the wilderness, permanently housed in a museum in Italy, danced to on stage, I am simply boggled. I could not even imagine these possibilities, so when I write, I take a chance on me and the places my works could go. My creativity is sparked by success, challenges and rejection.
On a recent publication …
My Love is a Durian, a poetry collection, will be launched on October 15, 2026. Three anthologies—I have three accepted pieces—a poem in an anthology last week. An interview with my 84-year-old Mum who plays the harmonium and sings in temple in Beyond the Concert Hall (November) and a short story, “The Singer Machine,” in The Fires We Kindle, Feminist Fantasy (September 2026).
Kelly’s online spaces …
The Women Writing Circle meets every Monday from 6:30-8:00 PM EST. This offering is for paid subscribers. You can learn more about the benefits of subscribing here. Come write with us!
Happy writing!
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