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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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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

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Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · 3d

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 )

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

The Poetry School @poetryschool.bsky.social · Jul 7

Online Courses — STUDIOS: Short, intensive poetry courses focusing on writing & inspiration, w/ tutors: Helen Ivory (@helenivory.bsky.social‬), Cat Woodward, Isabelle Baafi, Matt Bryden.

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Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jul 7

Join me for a dash of * Magic * in the darker months!

Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jul 3

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

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Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jul 2

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

Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jun 15

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!

Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jun 15

Over to you! Vote vote vote!

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · Jun 14

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · Jun 3

'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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Rachael Clyne @rachaelclyne.bsky.social · Jun 4

Very grateful to Helen Ivory for publishing this poem that means a lot to me.

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.

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Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · Jun 3

thank you Clare!

Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · May 30

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

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Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛ @helenivory.bsky.social · May 28

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

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 26

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 24

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 ©

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 24

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 25

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.

Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 25

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

poets and prattlers @pandemonialists.bsky.social · May 18

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 16

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

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 17

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.'

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Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 13

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.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 14

William Manning's vivid poem 'Living Flashback' lays bare the harsh rhythms of life in a psychiatric unit. A vital read for #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

Read now!
inksweatandtears.co.uk/william-mann...

#InkSweatandTears #Poetry

A tinted background with white text featuring William Manning's poem 'Living Flashback.' The first two lines read: 'My room is infested with bedbugs / I’m covered in bites, not love bites.' The author's name and copyright symbol appear at the bottom.

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Reposted by Helen Ivory 🪠🐈‍⬛

Ink Sweat & Tears @inksweatandtears.co.uk · May 16

Julie Stevens / @jumpingjulespoetry.bsky.social turns the weight of chronic illness into honest, unflinching art — finding power, clarity, and purpose in every line.

Read here or via link in bio
inksweatandtears.co.uk/julie-steven...

#InkSweatandTears #PoetryCommunity #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

A poem titled 'You Ask Me if I've Had a Nice Day' with lines: 'Are these the words you want me to say / about how my day became a raging river / crashing through my bones?' followed by the author credit 'Julie Stevens.'

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