Helena Harper - poet, children's author and teacher

For my Amazon author page, click here. 

Although I was born and brought up in England, I grew up in a household that did things somewhat differently to other English households, because my mother was German (she met my father in Hamburg at the end of WWII, when as a British soldier he was stationed there). This mixed background has had a profound influence on me and my understanding of so-called national divisions and whom we call an 'enemy' and whom we call a 'friend'.

I then spent a year teaching languages at a private school in London, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to get properly trained. I did a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Exeter University and then started my career as a modern languages teacher, a career which has lasted more than twenty years. 

During that time I've continued to write, concentrating primarily on fantasy stories for young children. However, in the past few years I've also discovered the joys of writing poetry for adults, and my first two books are poetry collections: It's a Teacher's Life...! and Family and More – Enemies or Friends?, which have been inspired by my professional and personal life. 

I now tutor privately, whilst continuing to write poems and children's stories. My first children's picture book, Pep, Polish and Paint, is due to be released in July 2011. The story is set in space and involves Sammy, the sun, and three spaceships. I've always been fascinated by space and having the opportunity to combine that fascination with my writing has been wonderful. 

Many people ask me why I like to write. I feel that I can best express it like this:

THE WRITER
The blank page calls,
the heart responds,
imagination spreads wide its wings
and launches into infinity...
Fingers dance,
words flow,
the page fills,
the soul takes flight
and the spirit sings.

Copyright © Helena Harper 2008