‘Somebody Give this Heart a Pen’ by Sophia Thakur
Although performance poet Sophia Thakur’s collection of poetry Somebody Give this Heart a Pen is intensely personal and explores what it’s like to be a biracial woman in today’s Britain, it captures universal experiences of love, loss, faith, and self-discovery that all readers can relate to. Through bringing the honest, emotional power of spoken word poetry to the page, she draws us into reflecting on our own pivotal life experiences and takes us through the process of “the building, the breaking, the learning and recreating” that the human heart experiences during a period of transformation (and for those of you are wondering, the powerful line quoted in this sentence is taken from the poem ‘the process…’, which crops up early in the collection).
Thakur’s collection is divided into sections, titled ‘Grow’, ‘Wait’, ‘Break’, and ‘Grow Again.’ What really stands out though, is her strong voice, which cuts straight to the heart of an experience while exuding deep empathy and understanding. This is a voice that values the rich tapestry of life experiences and honours the growth and learning that comes from it. A voice that is reflective , yet seems to be speaking directly to you.
The text’s ability to resonate with readers of all ages and experiences, and its exploration of contemporary issues makes it a text that students can dive into and discover which poems speak to them. The poems in this text also allow for rich reading experiences and performance, and provide excellent writing stimuli or use as mentor texts for writing.
Somebody Give this Heart a Pen can be studied as a whole collection, following ‘the process’ in which Thakur has organised the poems, riding the waves of youth, home life, falling in love, falling out of life, family, loss, joy, and a sense of identity; making connections or noticing patterns across the poems.
We recommend introducing this original voice into your classroom, and use it to help students find their voice.
Suitable for:
Ages 12 and above
Inspires thinking about:
Love and friendship
Social issues affecting adolescents
Identify and belonging
Diversity and representation
Finding our voice/perceptions of self
Useful for exploring:
Providing an excellent example of poetry
Representing a modern text (the increase in spoken poetry)
Exploring contemporary issues and concerns
Originality: Distinctive storytelling
Language and literary stylistic features
Using as a mentor text for writing
Why we recommend it:
Relevance to young people in today’s society
Strong and empathetic voice
Original and engaging style
Variety of ideas and issues explored
Opportunities for performance reading
Encourages students to find their voice
