QuickWrite of the Day #58: Picking a Name

"Writing can be used as a vehicle to express ourselves as we negotiate the journey through our lives” (Gallagher, 2011: p. 24)

Today’s QuickWrite: Picking a Name

Performance poet, speaker and storyteller Sophia’s Thakur’s first written collection of poetry Somebody Give this Heart a Pen gives voice to her experiences as a young black woman trying to make sense of the complexities of the world.

In the poem below, called ‘Picking a name’, she encourages us to think about what we are called, and what we want to answer to:

When you read this poem, what does it make you think, feel or imagine? What names do you want to answer to?

You might start by listing all the different ways that people describe you. Then, jot down the qualities that you like most about yourself, those things that make you who you are that you are most proud of. Use this list to inspire your own writing about the names you would pick for yourself that you would like to answer to. See where it takes you!

To see Sophia Thakur performing her poetry, check out her YouTube channel here.

Want more QuickWrite topics? Check out the slide deck here, or see it in presentation mode on our Resources page.

Happy writing!