Walker scoops Thakur's 'lyrical and heartfelt' second poetry collection

Walker Books has acquired Wearing My Mother’s Heart, the "fresh and urgent" second poetry collection from Sophia Thakur.

Publishing director Jane Winterbotham bought world rights from Crystal Mahey-Morgan at the OWN IT! agency, with both Thakur and the book now represented by Abigail Bergstrom at Bergstrom Studio. Wearing My Mother’s Heart will publish in October 2022 and will be Thakur’s second collection with Walker Books, after Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, which published in October 2019.

"In her lyrical and heartfelt second poetry collection, Sophia Thakur takes us on an emotionally charged journey through the past lives of women and considers what it means to be a woman in today’s society," the synopsis explains. "Exploring topics such as identity, race, politics, relationships, mental health and self-love, she weaves together the voices of a grandmother, mother and daughter, and examines how past generations have given us the freedom to speak out. 

"Encompassing love, from first crush to break-up, the history that comes before us, and the brave moments that make us, this collection will resonate with all young women as they approach the joys and pain of adulthood and learn to navigate life."

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. Thakur also worked with Walker Books in 2017 to create a piece of poetry inspired by The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Walker), titled Poetry for the Mandem. 
“To remember, I’ve always relied on hoarding, scrapbooking and archiving each stage of my life," Thakur said. "Each person, each bond and each lesson has been noted down somewhere as having happened. Good, bad, ugly. This book is proof of my mother’s existence, the mothers before her and the conversations I’ve been blessed enough to transcribe into poetry. It’s hard evidence of falling in love in the ’60s and being Black in the ’90s.

"It’s the stories they had to create for themselves so that I can create this loud, confident one. I stepped inside our kitchen, wrapped my pen in a calling card to Africa and tried my best to remember all that happened before I was born, that led to my birth. All that led us to the women we are today.”

Winterbotham added: “Sophia’s first poetry collection, Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, burst onto the market to huge acclaim, and I am delighted to be announcing this new book, which is every bit as fresh and urgent. Sophia’s clear poetic voice speaks directly to young women, to young readers of colour, and indeed to everyone demanding a more just and caring world.”