Internationally acclaimed award-winning artist, best-selling author and performance poet – Sophia Thakur shines in this live recorded episode of the Apples and Snakes Podcast. Sophia has performed shows all over the world and tickets are always in high demand, usually selling-out within hours of going on sale. Her debut poetry book \u2018Somebody Give This Heart a Pen\u2019 became a #1 Bestseller and is included in many school curriculums. Recorded at Mason and Fifth, Yomi sits with Sophia to talk what it means to live as a poet \u2014 on and off the stage. Sophia reflects on her earliest entry points into spoken word (from Def Poetry Jam to her first performances), why certain rooms and circuits build muscle, and how her performance style evolved to an intimate, soft-power delivery. She shares her poem \u2018Affirmation\u2019, unpacking how self-affirmation, faith, and emotional honesty shape her writing process and why some pieces arrive as a \u201cplea to myself.\u201d The episode closes with a powerful performance video choice of Daniel Beaty\u2019s \u2018Knock Knock\u2019, plus an honest look at poetry\u2019s commercial possibilities and creative integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n