Writing a poem is rarely just a matter of finding the right words.

Often, the deeper challenge lies in discovering what the poem is truly carrying: what sits beneath the surface, what gathers pressure, what seeks form, and what has not yet found its language.

I offer one-to-one editorial support for poets and artists at all stages of their practice, from individual poems to pamphlets, full collections, performance texts, and practice-led research projects.

My approach combines close textual attention with an interest in embodiment, voice, and the lived experience from which language emerges. Rather than imposing solutions, I work collaboratively with writers to identify what is already present within the work. Drawing on over two decades of as a poet, choreographer, editor, and facilitator, together we explore questions of structure, somatic awareness, poetic risk, pacing, and coherence, while remaining attentive to the deeper currents that shape a poem’s movement and meaning.

My Editorial Philosophy

I am interested not only in what a poem says, but how it moves.

My editorial practice is rooted in the belief that language is not separate from the body. Poems emerge through perception, sensation, memory, imagination, and attention. By listening carefully to both the text and the processes that inform it, we can often discover new possibilities for clarity, depth, complexity, and surprise.

Whether you are working on a single poem or a larger manuscript, my aim is to help you deepen your relationship with the work and strengthen your confidence in the decisions that shape it.

Areas of Support

Individual Poems

Detailed feedback on one or several poems, focusing on craft, language, imagery, structure, rhythm, and development.

Pamphlet and Collection Development

Support with manuscript shaping, sequencing, thematic coherence, editorial refinement, and preparing work for publication or submission.

Ongoing Mentoring

For writers seeking sustained support over time, mentoring sessions provide space for artistic development, accountability, reflection, and the evolution of a body of work.

Practice-Led Research and Cross-Disciplinary Work

I welcome conversations with writers, artists, researchers, and practitioners working across disciplines, particularly where questions of embodiment, movement, performance, and language intersect.

Enquiries

If you would like to discuss working together, please get in touch with a brief outline of your project and where you currently are in the process. I welcome enquiries from both emerging and established artists, from all artistic backgrounds.

Please email helen@beyondwordsdance.com or use the contact form below.