helenas-world

Paperback edition of "Family & More" officially released!

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:16:38 +0100

I just couldn't let today go by without writing a little something about my poetic memoir Family & More which is officially released as a paperback today. It was first released as a pdf ebook in 2008 and I thought it would probably have to remain as an ebook for quite some time. But thanks to my adopted aunt (whom I talk about in the book), I was able to get it published as a paperback sooner than expected. I decided to have some photos in the book (which weren't in the pdf version) so that readers could put some faces to the people I talk about. I never thought that that decision would bring so many headaches - where should they be placed? How big should they be? Should there be captions? What about the contrast? It was a learning experience to say the least! The poems had to be reformatted as a result and that also caused quite a few headaches - where to start a new line? Would it flow better like this or like that? So, many headaches and head scratchings later, the final version is now available - it's been a long process. If I had known then, what I know now - would I have gone through it? The answer has to be an emphatic YES! The stories of these people deserve to be told and if others are in any way helped or inspired by their stories, then the whole process has been more than worthwhile!

Family & More: Enemies or Friends?
ISBN-13: 978-1907172649
Pen Press, www.penpress.co.uk
95 pages
£6.99/ $10.99
Can be ordered from all good bookshops or available online from:

WH Smiths: http://bit.ly/9crAUC
Waterstones: http://bit.ly/cKoLtl
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/doduYA
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/9PgNyk
Amazon CAN: http://amzn.to/bMh0uh
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/ak9koL

Have you been inspired or helped by anyone in your life? What have you learnt from the people in your life?

Ever felt like giving up? This will change your mind!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:58:38 +0100

I wanted to share this message with others, so if you've ever felt like giving up, then take a look at Tony Robbins's 5 Keys To Thrive and Nick Vujicic's extraordinary video "Get Back Up". Nick Vujicic was born without any arms or legs and yet lives a happy and fulfilled life. Once you've seen this video, you'll be inspired to never, ever give up and you'll feel extraordinarily grateful for all the wonderful blessings in your life - it is very, very moving.

As I watched the video, I was vividly reminded of my own poem 'Thank you', which I'd like to post here, because it seems so applicable.

THANK YOU
Thank you for the breath that moves my body
and for the limbs that carry my spirit.

Thank you for the heart that beats in my chest
and for the mind that creates it.

Thank you for the fingers curling my hand
and for the toes dancing on my feet.

Thank you for the conscious energy surging through every cell,
connecting me to the ever-present ocean of eternity.

Thank you for the touch of my skin
and the comforting caress of warm water.

Thank you for the stillness of early morning
and the invigorating slap of cold air.

Thank you for the new spring life filling my eyes
and the symphony of bird song filling my ears.

Thank you for this land we belong to,
for the plants that talk to us
and for our sisters, the trees.

Thank you for warm smiles of family
and helping hands of strangers, friends in disguise.

Thank you for the laughter vibrating through my body
and for the words expressing from my mouth.

Thank you for the excitement of inquiry
and the fascination of discovery.

Thank you for bright patterns of T-shirt and trousers
and soft cuddles of dressing gown sleeves.

Thank you for the sweet melon melting my tongue
and the rich wine warming my throat.

Thank you for the dying sun
and for the colours that pulse
in unison with my soul.

Thank you for imagination's unfettered flights
soaring through infinite wonder and joy
and for inspiration, the whispered language of a loving soul.

Thank you for this magical, wonderful,
joyfully abundant, never-ending now.

Copyright © Helena Harper

What are you grateful for?

Remembrance

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:30:56 +0100

I was asked to write a poem for the remembrance ceremony that took place on 11th November 2009 at 11.00am in my local community and this is what I wrote - a poem in honour of those who have fought and lost their lives in the wars that have scarred and continue to scar our planet.

Today we remember,
today we show respect,
honouring those who've fallen,
the brave, courageous dead.
My heart bleeds for their sacrifice,
for the families who've cried,
for the pain and hurt
when their precious loved ones died.

How many more victims must there be
before the heartache and fighting can stop?
Before families lose the fear
of being wrenched apart
and children can enjoy every day
because human lives are no longer lost?

The wars continue,
the fighting lives on,
but my hope is for a future
where such things will have ceased
and all of mankind can finally live
in unity and peace.

Thank heavens for the child remote!

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:48:53 +0100

A poem inspired by something a neighbour of mine said the other day (a young mother with two young children).

Children laughing,
screaming,
shouting,
frazzled mother
searching,
searching
searching...
Children screaming,
shouting,
laughing,
frazzled mother
searching,
searching,
searching...
Children shouting,
screaming,
laughing,
frazzled mother
searching,
searching,
searching...

Where is it?
Can't find it?
Ah, got it!
Mute button pressed...
Ah, what quiet!
What bliss!
Did someone say
"Silence is golden"?
What a truly marvellous quote...
Thank heavens
for the wonderful child remote!

Copyright © Helena Harper

Picture book delight

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:39:08 +0100

In one of my previous posts I was talking about the most important part of a picture book and this inspired me to write this poem.

Picture Book Delight
Characters, story, pictures...
Which is the biz?
What makes a
picture book delight?
Is the message important?
Must it warm the heart?
For me, all have a part to play,
working together in harmony,
creating a sum
greater than the whole,
producing a wonderful,
magical synergy.

Does our education system delight both teacher and taught?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:12:24 +0100

With the start of a new school year and parents and children all over the country thinking once more about grades and marks and passing exams, it's a suitable time to consider whether our education system is really delivering what our children and what our society need. My overriding impression after having been a secondary school teacher in the U.K. for the past twenty years is that I've been on a merry-go-round. I've seen things being introduced, then abolished, then introduced again. I've seen more and more exams and tests being introduced and now some of those new exams and tests are being abolished -- and, perhaps, in the future they'll be reintroduced again; who knows? I've had to cut interesting discussions short in class because otherwise I wouldn't have completed the syllabus and been able to do past paper practice with students before the all-important exams. The students have been fixated on getting the highest grades they could because otherwise they wouldn't be able to get into university or do whatever else they wanted to do and would be deemed failures.

The paperwork for teachers has increased substantially because of the increase in the number of examinations and all kinds of other regulations that politicians have seen fit to introduce. Don't politicians just love to interfere with education even though they don't have a clue what teaching actually involves? Expressions of thanks from parents and pupils have grown fewer and fewer whilst complaints have grown ever greater.

The 'aha' moments I've seen in my pupils' faces and the strong bonds I've developed with my colleagues, most of whom are remarkable human beings -- intelligent, caring, very hardworking and often showing a much needed sense of humour -- have been rewarding. However, the system as it exists at the moment is far from ideal and the longer one is in it, the more aware one becomes of its failings. If teachers could get on with their jobs without interference from politicians; if we could get rid of restrictive syllabuses and fact-based exams that do nothing to promote independent, creative thought; and if we could stress cooperation with others rather than competition, then perhaps – as I say in my book It's a Teacher's Life...! (an amusing and often ironic collection of 'anecdotal' poems relating to the teaching profession) - it will be possible to

'create another
indisputable reality
where education delights
both teacher and taught
and restrictions and syllabuses
are but a long, distant memory.'

My ideal would be an education system where teachers are much more facilitators than instructors. Pupils would be able to choose what they want to study and how they want to study, aided by their teachers, and because they would be learning what they want to learn, there wouldn't be any motivational or behavioural issues. Classes would be much smaller than they are today and prescriptive syllabuses and exams would be a thing of the past. Such a system would produce creative, independent thinking adults, which is what our world desperately needs if it is to find creative solutions to the problems that are facing us today.

What do you think? Do you think our current education system delights both teacher and taught?

What's the most important part of a picture book?

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:00:02 +0100

This question was asked in one of my Facebook groups and I thought it was a very interesting question. For me, the most important part of a picture book is that pictures and text combine into a really exciting or endearing story. There has to be a synergy between the two. Pictures are, of course, hugely important, but if the relevant text isn't there - with some sort of interesting or humorous storyline (and repetition is fine for young children), then it'll just be a collection of pictures. And if an interesting text is there without pictures to fire the imagination as well, then that's no good either. And do picture books always need a message? Well, I think most authors who write picture books want to convey some sort of positive message to children - I know I do - and I think a story with a message is always a little more heartwarming to read and share with children.

To illustrate my point - UK children's writer, Julia Donaldson, is very well known for her rhyming picture books, such as the Gruffalo (a huge, terrifying monster) and Room on the Broom (about a witch who encounters various animals). The text is funny and humorous, but the pictures bring the story alive and make the text and the message doubly effective. You can't divorce one from the other, they both have to work together in harmony.

What do you think? What is the most important part of a picture book for you?