Helen Calcutt

Calcutt is the author of three volumes of poetry. Her debut collection 'Sudden rainfall' was published by British publishing house Perdika Press when she was just 23 years old. It was a PBS Choice on publication and became Waterstone's best-selling pamphlet in 2016. Her most recent collection 'Somehow' was published by Verve Press in September 2020. PBS Winter Bulletin Pamphlet, and Poetry School Book of the Year (2020, shortlist).

Helen also writes for the Guardian, the Huffington Post, Poetry London, and the Wales Arts Review.

Calcutt is also a professional dancer and choreographer. She has directed movement for theatre, site-specific productions, and independent film, working with a specialism in the conversation between text and movement.

Helen originally trained in jazz and commercial dance, before studying contemporary movement at Trinity Laban, and later moving into dance-theatre and movement direction. She is also a Latin and Cuban salsa[2] dancer.

Calcutt is an activist for mental health awareness, and male suicide prevention. She is the creator and editor of the acclaimed poetry anthology, 'Eighty Four'[3] The title stands for the number of men who take their lives every week in the U.K.

The book was published by Verve Poetry Press (2019) was shortlisted for the Saboteur Best Anthology Award, 2019, and was a Poetry Wales Book of The Year 2019.

Helen lost her own brother to suicide in September 2017.

• 2013: Sudden rainfall, Perdika Press, ISBN 978-1-905649-17-4
• 2018: Unable Mother, V.Press, ISBN 978-1-9998444-0-0
• 2019: Anthology Eighty Four Verve Poetry Press ISBN 978-1-91256513-9
• 2020: Somehow Verve Poetry Press, ISBN 978-1-912565-42-9

• Official website
• The Guardian, author page
• The Huffington Post, author page
• The Lampeter Review, Issue 6 2012
• Perdika Press