Hi, I’m Jaspreet. An educator, poet and author.
Hey. Hi. How are you?
I’m Jaspreet Kaur, also known as Behind the Netra, an award-winning poet, author, educator and lecturer from London. My work explores gender, identity, mental health and the South Asian British experience, using poetry and storytelling to give language to the things we don’t always find easy to say.
I began my career as a secondary school teacher, teaching History, Sociology and Politics, before moving into writing, higher education and research. Today, I’m a lecturer at City, University of London, where I teach The Poetry of Pop, exploring poetry, music, culture and identity. I’m also a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities and continue to work with schools and universities across the UK.
My poetry and speaking have taken me from Westminster Abbey and the Royal Albert Hall to the Houses of Parliament, Wembley Stadium and Trafalgar Square. My work has featured widely across the BBC, including BBC Radio 4 and Sunday Morning Live, and I previously hosted BBC Asian Network’s Chill, a show dedicated to wellbeing, mental health and rest.
I’m the #1 bestselling author of Brown Girl Like Me and the award-winning children’s book The Spaces in Between. I’m currently working on two new books, Quiet Feminism and Brown Guy Like You.
Along the way, I’ve been honoured with the Asian Women of Achievement Award for Arts and Culture and the We Are The City Rising Star Award in Education, and was a finalist at the National Diversity Awards. I’m also a judge for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and the Roundhouse Poetry Slam.
And alongside all of that, I’m a mum of two young children, which continues to shape how I think about creativity, care, identity and the stories we pass from one generation to the next.
