Helen Pletts, poet

Bio

Instagram @helen.pletts

 

Helen's two early collections, Bottle bank and For the Chiding Dove, were published by YWO/Legend Press (supported by The Arts Council) and available on Amazon.

'Bottle bank' was longlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize 2006, under Helen's maiden name, Bannister.

Also published in Aesthetica, Orbis, The Fenland Reed.

Working collaboratively on Word and Image (published exclusively by https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/ with Romit Berger, illustrator, since 2011.

Helen's poetry was longlisted for The Rialto Nature and Place Competition 2018 and 2022.

Helen's poem The Grey Seal Speaks was selected in 2019 for the climate change awareness anthology entitled 'Planet in Peril' available here.

Helen was Longlisted for the 2019 Ginkgo Prize competition.

Helen's poetry was Shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Longlisted for The National Poetry Competition 2022.

Word & Image collection with Romit Berger 'your eye protects the soft-toed snowdrop' published in hardback by Gama Poetry Press 2022

 

Shortlisted for The Plaza Prose Poetry Prize 2023 here

 

All illustrations by Romit.

 

 

 

News

2023

June

‘The Laughter of Rats’ has won 2nd prize for theplazaprizes.com

 

March

Long-listed for 2022's National Poetry Competition

 

2022

December

28th, 'love symbols spoken in a chinese winter' in Ink, Sweat and Tears Christmas feature

21st, 'my father wears a yellow mask' in Ink, Sweat and Tears Christmas feature

 

 

November

'your eye protects the soft-toed snowdrop' by Helen Pletts & Romit Dorot-Berger, now avaliable at gamaisrael.com.

 

October

Short-listed for the Bridport Prize, list here.

 

For National Poetry Day: The Environment – Helen Pletts & Romit Berger from the IS&T Archive.

 

April

I was longlisted for The Rialto Nature & Place Poetry Competition 2022.

 

 

2021

December

'In Light', one of the poems that I am reading, while screen sharing Romit's fabulous illustration for the poem, will actually be published on the 21st December 2021 by inksweatandtears.co.uk as part of their slanted 12 days of Christmas.

 

July 23
In the Dark of Sadness see ink, sweat and tears.

 

May 12
International Nurses Day see ink, sweat and tears.

 

February

my mother is with the stars — Word & Image by Pletts & Berger
First published 14th February 2021 by www.inksweatandtears.co.uk.
Also shortlisted for the Ink, Sweat & Tears, Pick of the Month, February 2021
https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/word-image-from-helen-pletts-and-romit-berger-on-valentines-day/

 

 

2020

December

Muntjac published in inksweatandtears.co.uk

 

June

1. Word & Image by Pletts & Berger - shopdown, published 12th June 2020

https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/word-image-by-helen-pletts-and-romit-berger-2/

2. Beyond the Mask - 2020 - Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge

Helen is very pleased to share her poem ‘Let the nurses laugh’ for the Beyond the Mask project, with Sean Borodale - a reflection on nurses and midwives during the coronavirus epidemic #CUHproud #Kind #beyondthemask

cuh.nhs.uk/news/poet-seans-invitation-to-write-about-nurses-and-midwives

Poems are to be featured in the Cambridge University Hospitals Arts Autumn exhibition from September – December 2020 at Addenbrookes’s Hospital.Poems are to be printed in a Beyond the Mask anthology and recorded for an audio recording.

 

January

- Word & Image by Pletts & Berger collected work to be published in 2021 - more to follow

- Poem: The Monster London Fatberg published by inksweatandtears.co.uk (Inspired by The London Fatberg Exhibition at The Museum of London, 2018.

 

 

 

2019

- Three of Helen’s poems were Shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2019.

 

December

Street dog published December 27 - inksweatandtears.co.uk

 

September
Freshwater bio sona boto published 20 September 2019 inksweatandtears.co.uk/pages/?cat=109

Helen is Longlisted for the Ginkgo Prize.

 

March

The plane tree entertains the circus of doves, inksweatandtears.co.uk, to be published 16th March 2019. Voted Pick of the Month.
We proffer milk to the holler-wool jaws, inksweatandtears.co.uk, published 23rd December 2018.

 

 

 

2018

- One of Helen’s poems was Shortlisted for the Bridport Prize 2018.

 

October

Helen is shortlisted in The Bridport Poetry Prize 2018

The Monster London Fatberg published June 5th 2018.

Helen is longlisted in The Rialto NATURE POETRY COMPETITION 2018

 

 

 

2017

October

Reconnaître to be published 2nd November 2017 on inksweatandtears.co.uk. Shortlisted for Pick of the Month for November.

 

May
Poem: We take up the yellow fur and hold its yellow,
To be Published on
inksweatandtears.co.uk
Edited by Helen Ivory

 

 

2015
Poems: Reconnaître and Gas
published in issue 1
The Fenland Reed
Edited by Jonathan Totman (Fenland Poet Laureate 2015) and Mary Lingstone (Fenland Poet Laureate 2016)

thefenlandreed.co.uk

 

Poem: Don't try to change the course of Cuban history
published in
Poems For Peace
Anthology edited by Poppy Kleiser, Fenland Poet Laureate 2014

Poem: Cornelius Vermuyden, the King's Artificer
Highly Commended
FENLAND POET LAUREATE AWARDS 2015
atelier-east.co.uk

 

 

2014
Poem: Winter-Night-Song of a Fenland Home
Third place, joint
FENLAND POET LAUREATE AWARDS 2014
babylonarts.org.uk

 

 

2013
Poem: Luna
First published with illustration by Romit Berger, April 2012 by inksweatandtears.co.uk
Second publication (without illustration) by Orbis magazine Autumn 2012 #161. Helen was voted Joint fourth, Orbis 161 Readers' Award, with her poem 'Luna'.

 

 

2010
Poem: With Calypso
Commended
Poetry on the Lake
Silver Wyvern Awards
2010 - Short poems
poetryonthelake.org

 

Poem: Nuncle
Winner of April 'The Fool' theme
'Always be a poet', Ledbury Poetry Festival
alwaysbeapoet.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

2009
Poem: For the chiding dove
Poetry On The Lake journal two
Edited by Gabriel Griffin
poetryonthelake.org/page3

Poem: Cirkus
Issue 1, Pumpkin New Writing
Edited by Daphne Kapsali
sites.google.com/site/pumpkinnewwriting/issue-1

 

 

 

2006
Poem: Bottle Bank
Bottle bank was longlisted for The Bridport Poetry Prize 2006, under Helen's maiden name, Bannister. First published (without illustration) June 2008 by inksweatandtears.co.uk . Bottle bank is the title poem to Helen's first collection, Bottle bank by Helen Pletts, ISBN 978-1-84923-119-0 published in 2008 by YWO/Legend Press (supported by The Arts Council) YouWriteOn.com

 

 

 

 

About

Helen Pletts (Instagram @helen.pletts) Working collaboratively as Word & Image by Pletts & Berger with illustrator Romit Berger, since 2011 (published exclusively online by www.inksweatandtears.co.uk).  ‘The plane tree entertains the circus of doves’ won the Ink Sweat &Tears Pick of the Month in March 2019. Helen’s poetry was shortlisted for Bridport Poetry Prize 2018, 2019 and 2022, longlisted for The Rialto Nature and Place Competition 2018 and 2022, longlisted for the Ginkgo Prize 2019. Word & Image collection ‘your eye protects the soft-toed snowdrop’ published by Gama Poetry Press 2022.