How a tumour in her throat helped spoken word poet Sabrina Benaim find her voice

Sabrina Benaim had been using writing as an emotional outlet since childhood, but when it came to expressing those thoughts and emotions verbally she would choke up or remain silent. When she found out she had a tumour in her throat that threatened her ability to speak, Benaim took to spoken word to cope. What she found in spoken word poetry was more than a coping mechanism — she found an art form that allows her to express her deepest insecurities, a platform to discuss the difficult things like her struggle with depression and anxiety.

Benaim's vulnerability and honesty has gained her thousands of fans all over the world through videos like "Explaining My Depression To My Mother" that has more than 6 millions views and her book Depression and Other Magic Tricks. Ahead of her performance at the Toronto Poetry Slam Finals​ ​on February 17, Benaim joins q host Tom Power to talk about how spoken word poetry helped her find her voice.

— Produced by Vanessa Nigro