Helena Nelson
Home address:
21 Hatton Green, Glenrothes, Fife, KY7 4SD, ScotlandEmail:
nell@happenstancepress.comWebsite:
www.happenstancepress.comBRAW network:
noLL funded:
yesBiography:
Helena Nelson is poet, critic and part-time publisher. Her book, Starlight on Water, was joint winner of the Jerwood Aldeburgh Prize for best first poetry collection. She reviews poetry for a wide variety of magazines, edits Sphinx (a magazine about poetry publishing) and runs HappenStance Press. She is a widely experienced reader and an assured, entertaining performer. Her day job is in further education.
About writer's work:
I love reading and writing poetry. I enjoy light verse very much, as well as the heavier variety, and I specially favour lyrical, musical poetry. I can’t write to order: I have to wait until inspiration strikes, but after that I beat the poem into shape remorselessly. As an editor, I love talking to other writers about their work; I love the fascination of seeing a poet develop, grow in confidence and finally soar. I think being a good reader of poetry is just as important as writing well: that’s why I continue to review widely. And finally I think poets, like most other people, need to cultivate a sense of humour to stay sane. The themes I explore include love, loss, anorexia, fun, poetic personae.
About writer's events and projects:
I am available to do readings of my own work; talks on the challenge of small-press publishing; workshops on review writing; and after-dinner speaking. I can also bring groups of HappenStance poets to talk about their work and read from it.
I am a college tutor. Often I work with people who have specific learning difficulties or physical disabilities in mainstream classes, but I've also worked with whole groups who are disabled, many of them unforgettable and wonderful individuals
Language:
EnglishAge groups:
5-8, 9-12, Teens, Adults
