Irish-Indian Poet Nikita Gill Shares Her Hopes For Women’s Rights

Celebrated on March 8, International Women’s Day is symbolic of the historic journey women have taken to better their lives. It also comes as a reminder that while a lot has been achieved, more needs to be done. To mark International Women’s Day 2023, & Other Stories has teamed up with the poet, and general literary sensation, Nikita Gill. The Irish-Indian writer, whose readers range from Marian Keyes to Alanis Morissette and Sam Smith, is loved for her poetry and prose, and has created a poem for the campaign titled A Scared Story.

“I feel like International Women’s Day is a day of remembrance. I spend the day thinking about the words of bell hooks, Audre Lorde and Sojourner Truth, about how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. I think about the women who held the torch before me and what I must do for the women who will hold the torch after me,” says Gill. We chatted to Gill, who was born in Belfast, to find out a bit more about her life as a female creative and what comprises her ideal day of writing. 

Celebrating the female written word and the power of poetry, & Other Stories’ International Women’s Day campaign features the Irish-Indian literary sensation Nikita Gill. 

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

International Women’s Day is a day of remembrance and contemplation for me. I always look back at what our foremothers have fought for to get us here, and how far we still have to go to give our granddaughters the best future they can possibly have.

We all have things that make us feel empowered, like our best selves. Is fashion one of those things for you?

I think the way we dress and look is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves inside. The clothes, accessories and shoes I pick therefore need to make me feel confident in who I am. Especially on days when I don’t feel as confident, fashion helps me feel empowered.

How do you equate style and self-expression? 

As a poet, my job is to look at a blank piece of paper and fill it with words that move and emphasise, flow like a river and leave someone changed. I think fashion does the same to the body as its canvas. You can become a living poem through fashion.

On International Women’s Day what is your wish for women’s rights? 

That every woman, everywhere in the world has equal access and opportunities to pursue her dreams. That society changes so that women are no longer held back from the arts, sciences, technology due to our gender. That little girls can dream of being anything they want to be and then are empowered by the world around them to achieve that dream.

What book is on your nightstand right now? 

Sabrina Mahfouz’s These Bodies of Water which is a riveting book told through myth, poetry and the history of the Middle Eastern waterways that were crucial to the British Empire. I’ve never read anything like it, it’s incredibly powerful, poignant and remarkably written.

For the campaign, Gill has contributed an exclusive poem titled “A Sacred Story”, which aims to spark inspiration and conversation about women today.

Who or what inspires you? 

My grandmother. She’s just an incredible human being and she raised me to be kind.

What rituals or habits do you practise to make you feel good? 

I journal every morning and meditate every day – both of these things help me to focus.

Talk us through your ideal day.

Journalling first thing when I wake up. Tea and breakfast. Shower and taking a walk in the woods. Write a poem by the lake. Come home to play with my cats, watch a film with my partner. Eat dinner and spend the rest of the evening reading until I’m too sleepy to read anymore.

& Other Stories will be asking its community to share their own answers to “What does International Women’s Day mean to you?” For each comment left on the @andotherstories Instagram post sharing the poem, & Other Stories will donate €1 to CARE®, a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty. CARE ® places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. www.stories.com.