Sophia Thakur won her first poetry award at 18, and since then she has performed at Glastonbury, Stylist’s Remarkable Women Awards, international conferences, and given multiple TED talks. She is a youth ambassador for the betterment of young black girls, and has worked with charities including Cancer Research UK, and with brands such as MTV, Samsung and Nike. Sophia also worked with Walker Books in 2017 to create a piece of poetry inspired by The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas called “Poetry for the Mandem”. Sophia combines words with fashion, sport, music and social responsibility to push the traditional boundaries of poetry. In 2019, Sophia published her first collection of poems, Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, to great critical acclaim, Angie Thomas saying: “One of the most brilliant and necessary voices. The power of her words will affect generations.”

The stories of her foremothers are woven into the work; she celebrates their strength and bravery.