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praise
On ‘Somehow’
One of the words that recurs most frequently in this collection is “want,” which Helen Calcutt summons even within the depths of these poems’ largest sorrows. It is no wonder, then, that Somehow shows us a voice and a spirit that, somehow, insists—at times defiantly, other times tenderly, always fiercely—on the magnitude and gravities of desire.
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Sumita Chakraborty
On ‘Somehow’
A highly accomplished set of poems which consider the ways grief, guilt and loss attach themselves to both the family and the natural world for restoration. What Calcutt does within these pages is acknowledge our ability to be resilient, while never dismissing the private moments we struggle and suffer to keep ourselves going. At times devastating, at other times buoyant, but always totally human.
Anthony Anaxagorou
On ‘Somehow‘
..the powerful work in this chapbook resounds with both technique and emotional directness in a manner which feels confrontational in all the senses of the word. Writing about extreme subjects – in this case the suicide of her brother Matthew at the age of 40 – can be very challenging and the relationship here between art and therapy can be a tricky subject to broach. Nevertheless I think this is an astonishing book which deserves to be widely read and discussed.
Steve Spence
Three poems, Irisi Magazine
Helen’s poems are breath taking in their ability to both move and intrigue the reader. She writes with a seamless sensuality and fluency; creating a new and vital vocabulary for the emotional, sexual and physical nuances of life. Her poetry captures the beauty of intimacy, confronts the taboo and, although touching on the darker elements of human existence, beats with a beautiful, lyrical and hopeful heart.
Mairead Warren, Caitlin Miller
On ‘Unable Mother‘
Helen Calcutt’s poems are full of surprising and intricate moments – they unfold like origami, deftly packing and unpacking themselves into new forms and presenting the reader with confidences, secrets and insight, the tender words for the things that are hard to say. In their explorations of motherhood, loss and discovery, Calcutt’s poetry is steeled with precise language, always finding clarity forged in the heart of experience.
Jane Commane
‘Eighty Four’: Poems on Male Suicide, Vulnerability, Grief and Hope
Edited and Introduced by Helen Calcutt
[Read Helen’s introduction to the Eighty Four Anthology HERE ]
Eighty Four was originally a new anthology of poetry on the subject of male suicide in aid of CALM. Poems were donated to the collection by Andrew McMillan, Salena Godden, Anthony Anaxogorou, Katrina Naomi, Ian Patterson, Caroline Smith, Carrie Etter, Peter Raynard, Joelle Taylor, while a submissions window yielded many excellent poems on the subject from hitherto unknown poets we are thrilled to have been made aware of.
dy / na mism 