At 22, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is a Cambridge University graduate and a third-generation Pakistani born in Bradford. Her poem ‘This Is Not A Humanising Poem’ was performed at The Last Word Festival, with her being awarded the runner-up prize.
The poem deals with Suhaiymah’s struggles with writing poetry and feeling forced to appear endearing and human.
Watch her performance below.
‘This Is Not A Humanising Poem’ is unapologetic in its refusal to be ‘relatable’. Instead, it focuses on the hardships of being an ethnic minority in post-Brexit Britain.