Helena Harper - poet, children's author and teacher

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Have you always been interested in writing poetry?
Actually, no! I've always loved to write, but my first love has always been writing fantasy stories for young children. I wrote poetry at school, of course, and every so often when I was on holiday, but it wasn't a regular thing.

2. So, what prompted you to write your first book “It's a Teacher's Life...!” ?
Well, I've been a teacher for 20 years and about three years ago, when I was having a lovely holiday at a beautiful place in the country, I was inspired to write some poetry, and when I came home, I then had the idea to write some more poems about my life as a teacher. Each poem would concentrate on a different aspect of school life, such as the lessons, what went on in the staffroom, school trips, exams, report writing, and so on. I also wanted to pay tribute to some of the support staff who do so much to keep a school running, but are often forgotten about e.g. the cook, the caretaker/janitor, the nurse, the school secretary – the unsung heroes of life is what I call them.

3. Do you have a favourite poem? 
No, I can't say I've got a favourite. Each one is written from the heart and it's impossible for me to single one out in particular. 

4. What prompted you to write your book “Family and More – Enemies or Friends?”
I had the idea one day whilst driving to work. I was just thinking about my family and other people in my life who've had a big influence on me, one way or the other, and suddenly the idea popped into my head that I could write a second collection of poems about them and the lessons I've learnt from them. 

5. Why is it called “Enemies or Friends?”
That's got a lot to do with the fact that my mother is German and my father was English, and I just couldn't get my head round the fact that, had I been born a few years earlier, all my German relatives would have been my 'enemies'. To me they could never have been 'enemies', just 'family'. It got me thinking about how futile it is to talk about so-called national divisions.

6. What was the inspiration behind your first picture book "Pep, Polish and Paint"? 
I was walking home one evening - it was already dark - and I looked up at the sky which was filled with stars. Suddenly, I thought 'What if one of those stars just disappeared from view because it suddenly lost its shine? Who or what would be around in space to help a star that had lost its shine?' And then the answer came to me - spaceships, of course! And that's how the story was born!

6. What did you find the hardest about writing your books?
For my poetry books - finding the time to finish them and then the editing, the endless checking and re-reading; it drove me crazy! For my picture books, the hardest part has been getting the illustrations done - first to find the right illustrator and then getting the pictures 'just right'. You have to think about every little detail and how it should look. It has been an eye-opening experience!

7. What was the easiest part?
Just writing the poems and the stories – I'm totally absorbed by the process and really enjoy it.

8. How do you describe your style of poetry?
Easy-to-read, easily accessible free verse. I want people to be able to read and understand what I'm writing about from the word go. I don't like things to be hidden in obscurity. I write simply as I'm inspired to write. The poems I've had published in my two collections are really stories and character sketches that just happen to be in verse. One of the reviews on Amazon talks about me developing a new form of poetry, called the 'anecdotal poem', and I think that describes my style of poetry very well. (If readers would like to find out more about free verse, then I recommend this article Free Verse Poetry - An Art Form, written by Angela Saunders, poetry editor of Bella Online.)

9. What's the attraction of writing poetry as opposed to writing children's stories? 
When I write poetry, I can concentrate on the rhythm and sound of the words and use vocabulary I wouldn't be able to use in my children's stories. It's a marvellous linguistic challenge - the sound of words has always been something that's fascinated me. It's one of the reasons I studied modern languages. When I write my children's stories, it's more about escaping into a wonderful world of fantasy, leaving the mundane 'real' world behind – I find it wonderfully exciting and liberating.

10. When you're not writing, what are you doing? Tutoring, reading, walking, playing tennis or dancing, doing Pilates, spending time with my niece and nephew.

11. What are your future writing goals? 
My first children's picture book 'Pep, Polish and Paint' has just come out, and the illustrations for my second picture book are being done. I'm really looking forward to going into schools to talk about my books. Having been a school teacher for 20 years, I'm no stranger to the school environment, although it'll be a little strange, perhaps, to be going into schools first and foremost as a writer rather than a teacher, although I hope everyone can learn something useful from my stories.