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helenivory.bsky.social
Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
@helenivory.bsky.social
2.1K followers 1.3K following 180 posts
Poet, artist. Cholmondeley Award winner. Sixth Bloodaxe collection, 'Constructing a Witch' is a PBS Winter Recommendation. I make collage and shadowboxes from broken things. I shout poems at the moon about the dark.
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helenivory.bsky.social
Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · May 30
If you would like to follow me on Substack, it's free! I've been sharing some research notes for Constructing a Witch (Bloodaxe 2024). I researched the book for about four years so it's been good to actually document this. Like many poets, I do so much research just to write a few stanzas!
Helen Ivory | poet | artist | Substack
Here are some writings about making my book 'Constructing a Witch' (Bloodaxe 2024). Click to read Helen Ivory | poet | artist, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
helenivory.substack.com
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
pandemonialists.bsky.social
And while we're here... a reminder that this year's #WolvesLitFest poetry competition is now open. Judges @helenivory.bsky.social and @martinfigura.bsky.social. £400 first prize. All the info you need is here: pandemonialists.co.uk/wolves-lit-f...
A photo of Helen Ivory and Martin Figura, looking more than a little bit like a remake of 'American Gothic'...
November 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM
helenivory.bsky.social
I'm doing a short course on writing the menopause. . .
poetryschool.bsky.social The Poetry School @poetryschool.bsky.social · 12d
Our Spring Term is now live & we’ve got a whole host of brilliant tutors & poetry courses lined up, so be sure to book promptly to avoid disappointment. Our handy Quick Course Guide is linked in bio, where you’ll find everything you’ll need to know…

poetryschool.com/new-courses/... 🪻🌜
Spring 2026 – Quick Course Guide • Poetry School
Check out our Quick Course Guide for the Spring 2026 term which will help you pick a course to take at the Poetry School.
poetryschool.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
pandemonialists.bsky.social
If you're a poet looking for a top-quality competition, judged by the impeccably wonderful @helenivory.bsky.social and @martinfigura.bsky.social, then you're in luck! The #WolvesLitFest poetry competition is now open!! 😊 All the info's here: pandemonialists.co.uk/wolves-lit-f...
November 2, 2025 at 8:11 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
Hey sorry I've been away. What do you mean you didn't notice!? Anyway, it's #worldmenopauseday ! Let's celebrate! ( from Constructing a Witch @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social )
October 18, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
poetryschool.bsky.social
Online Courses — STUDIOS: Short, intensive poetry courses focusing on writing & inspiration, w/ tutors: Helen Ivory (@helenivory.bsky.social‬), ​​Cat Woodward, Isabelle Baafi, Matt Bryden.
July 7, 2025 at 9:56 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
Join me for a dash of * Magic * in the darker months!
July 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
A new Substack post about the film behind this poem from my Witch book. This is free to read - all my posts are free, so please do subscribe if you want to read some of my (four years of!) research for Constructing a Witch @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social #witch #constructingawitch #poetrycommunity
Häxan (1921)
some notes about my ekphrastic poem
open.substack.com
July 3, 2025 at 10:22 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
Looking forward to performing a collaborative piece with @martinfigura.bsky.social at Dragon Hall tomorrow night. These @europeanpoetryfest.bsky.social events are always wild and brilliant. Do come! www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/norwich25
Norwich 2025 - July 3rd — European Poetry Festival
www.europeanpoetryfestival.com
July 2, 2025 at 11:00 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
For anyone else with Dad Envy today in the UK! It's from my semi autobiographical @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social collection Waiting for Bluebeard. Sorry to be such a downer!
June 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
Over to you! Vote vote vote!
inksweatandtears.co.uk Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · Jun 13
What will be your Pick of the Month for May 2025? Will it be a poem from @wooperark.bsky.social, Jo Farrant, @martinfigura.bsky.social, Marissa Glover, Mofiyinfoluwa O. or Jennie E. Owen? Vote now at inksweatandtears.co.uk/may-2025-pic...!

#InkSweatandTears #PickoftheMonth
Background: Close up, almost abstract image of windblown carnation petals Text (centred): The IS&T May 2025 Pick of the Month Joseph Blythe Jo Farrant Martin Figura Marissa Glover Mofiyinfoluwa O. Jennie E. Owen with two VOTE icons either side.
June 15, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
For National Flash Fiction Day, Louella Lester / @louellalester.bsky.social delivers a darkly comic poem about the chaos unleashed by one ill-advised siesta.

Read now!
inksweatandtears.co.uk/louella-lest...

#InkSweatandTears #Submission #FlashFiction @louellalester.bsky.social
A gradient background with white text overlays: 'Keep an Eye Out / That's what the father said before he went for a nap...' —Louella Lester.
June 14, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
'We Were Seeds' is a riveting poem by Tom Nutting, drawn from the trans rights protests and counter-protests in Bristol, April 2025.

Read here
inksweatandtears.co.uk/tom-nutting/

#InkSweatandTears #Submission #PoetryCommunity
A small green plant grows upward from a crack between two pieces of dark, textured bark. Overlaid text reads: 'They have been burying us, not realising we were seeds of revolution.' – Tom Nutting.
June 3, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
rachaelclyne.bsky.social
Very grateful to Helen Ivory for publishing this poem that means a lot to me.
inksweatandtears.co.uk Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · Jun 4
In 'Homeland,' Rachael Clyne / @rachaelclyne.bsky.social asks us to consider the ties between land, people, and memory—what is lost, what remains, and what might return.

Read now!
inksweatandtears.co.uk/rachael-clyn...

#InkSweatandTears #Submission #PoetryCommunity
A vibrant rural landscape of green hills and farmland under a partly cloudy sky. Superimposed white text reads: 'Homeland And if a land loses its people and they are exiled will a land feel their absence' – Rachael Clyne.
June 4, 2025 at 12:26 PM
helenivory.bsky.social
If you would like to follow me on Substack, it's free! I've been sharing some research notes for Constructing a Witch (Bloodaxe 2024). I researched the book for about four years so it's been good to actually document this. Like many poets, I do so much research just to write a few stanzas!
Helen Ivory | poet | artist | Substack
Here are some writings about making my book 'Constructing a Witch' (Bloodaxe 2024). Click to read Helen Ivory | poet | artist, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
helenivory.substack.com
May 30, 2025 at 9:22 AM
helenivory.bsky.social
I've made a little Substack post about the mutability of milk. I've been sharing some of the (four years of!) research for my @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social collection Constructing a Witch. It's free to read! #constructingawitch #witch #poem #feministwitch

helenivory.substack.com/p/dairying
Hexed Milk
Some notes about my poem 'Dairying'
helenivory.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
Inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night Over the Rhône', Denise Bundred’s poem captures a moment of tension and beauty, tethered in light and shadow.

Read now
inksweatandtears.co.uk/denise-bundr...

#InkSweatandTears #PoetryCommunity
An image of moored boats at a quiet marina at night, illuminated by soft dock lights. Overlaid text features a poem titled 'Starry Night Over the Rhône' by Denise Bundred, evoking the mood of Van Gogh’s painting with imagery of boats, mooring chains, and a richly coloured night sky.
May 26, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
Chris Emery’s 'Truer' is a meditation on memory and grief—on the things we don’t fully remember but still carry. @chrisemery.me

Read now!
inksweatandtears.co.uk/chris-emery-2/

#InkSweatandTears #Submission #PoetryCommunity
A green textured background with the following poem excerpt in white text: 'and if we walk to the same sea later we’ll see something heaving up beside us: caskets of grey, white-capped, barren and loose, the way memories are. Signed: Chris Emery ©
May 24, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
A hand, a map, a memory. Tracing the weathered lines of history and healing in 'O What That Hand Could Tell' by Jonathan Edis.

View here
inksweatandtears.co.uk/jonathan-edi...

#InkSweatandTears #Submission #WordandImage #PoetryCommunity
A plaster cast of Andrew Taylor Still’s right hand, fingers slightly curled, with visible line details resembling geographical features or weather maps, displayed on a dark surface. Property of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine.
May 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
In this tender, evocative meditation on loss and departure, Mofiyinfoluwa O. explores the delicate rituals we create to cope with endings.

Read 'Palm Trees on the Edge of Farewell' here
inksweatandtears.co.uk/mofiyinfoluw...

#InkSweatandTears #PoetryCommunity
A digital artwork features the text of a lyrical prose piece titled 'Palm Trees on the Edge of Farewell' by Mofiyinfoluwa O., overlaid on a background of silhouetted palm leaves against a blue sky. The piece reflects on a fleeting moment between two people on the brink of goodbye, gathering seashells as a quiet distraction from emotional pain.
May 25, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
Samuel A. Adeyemi’s 'Without Blood' is a powerful reckoning with pain, identity, and the myth of the tortured artist.

Read now
inksweatandtears.co.uk/samuel-a-ade...

#InkSweatandTears #PoetryCommunity
A minimalist poem titled Without Blood by Samuel A. Adeyemi is displayed on a soft blue textured background. “I can already hear the chorus of my tribe. They want the ancient blade, the guillotine that hovered above my head like a halo of death.” The poem explores generational pain, the burden of expectation, and a yearning to live without suffering.
May 25, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
pandemonialists.bsky.social
In two weeks time, we welcome the incredible and hard-working @martinfigura.bsky.social and @helenivory.bsky.social to Yes We Cant. Open-mic spots available in advance (and on the door on the night) so get in touch if you want one. 😊
A pink and yellow poster for Yes We Cant at the Great Western pub in Wolverhampton on Sunday 1st June. Images of poets Martin Figura and Helen Ivory, who headline the event.
May 18, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
Whose work will you choose for your April 2025 Pick of the Month: Paul Bavister, Elena Chamberlain, @vaikuspg.bsky.social, Opeyemi Oluwayomi, @philvernon.bsky.social or @heathercwalker.bsky.social? Go to inksweatandtears.co.uk/april-2025-p... for details.
Spring flowering tree branch against a pale blue sky, with a decal calling VOTE: Text: The IS&T Pick of the Month Paul Bavister Elena Chamberlain Philip Gross Opeyemi Oluwayomi Phil Vernon Heather Walker
May 16, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
In this searing piece, Martin Figura / @martinfigura.bsky.social reflects on the silent struggles of Looked After Children, the profit-driven care system, and the lifelong impact it leaves.

Read now!
inksweatandtears.co.uk/martin-figur...

#InkSweatandTears #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #Poetry
Text on a dark red and blue textured background reads: 'Children in care do not have much of a voice, they often accept whatever is given and do not dare to speak up.' — Martin Figura, from 'Looked After Children, Blackpool.'
May 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛
inksweatandtears.co.uk
In 'Why Words Help,' @drsteffiaspinphd.bsky.social reminds us that writing isn’t just expression—it’s healing, discovery, & the making of meaning. This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, we honour the transformative power of language.

inksweatandtears.co.uk/stephanie-as...

#InkSweatandTears #Prose
A textured parchment background with the heading 'Why Words Help.' The quote by Stephanie Aspin reads: 'Writing is both a way of making life more liveable and of making ourselves more whole. Words have a being-ness: when we write poetry, we tap into a network of resonances.' The author’s name appears at the bottom right.
May 13, 2025 at 2:29 PM