Helen Bowell

I am a prize-winning poet and teacher based in southeast London. I'm passionate that literature and creative writing are for everyone, and I have a range of ways to get students of all ages excited about literature. Fun and laughter are central to my teaching methodology (and personality). I love tailoring classes to individuals, which is why I love teaching 1-1, and which is also why there are no 'typical' classes. In our first session, I'll work with you to find out what works best for your learning style, what you want to achieve, and what you're most interested in - no matter your age or background. We’ll find the best way to help you develop your skills, whether that’s through conversation and discussion, tailored writing or reading exercises, or working with an existing curriculum or towards an exam. I can support primary and secondary students, including GCSE and A Level, and learners of all ages who want to write creatively, study literature or develop their English language skills.

My debut poetry pamphlet The Barman (Bad Betty Press, 2022) was selected as a Poetry Book Society Choice. My poems, co-translations and poetry reviews have been widely published.

I have taught adult 1-1 English classes in Spain and France, and was a British Council English language assistant in two lycées (sixth form equivalents).

As someone who grew up around Cantonese, I love learning languages myself and have C1 French, and am currently studying Portuguese. I also have basic German, Spanish and Latin. This has given me a grounding in grammar but also a deep empathy for those learning English.

I regularly run writing workshops in schools and for the general public for organisations like the Royal Society of Literature, Spread the Word and The Poetry Society. I have just spent 18 months as a 1-1 mentor for The Writing Squad, giving writing, and careers advice and feedback to emerging writers in the North of England; and I'm currently a volunteer writing mentor at a creative writing charity, helping 8-12-year-olds to build their confidence and imagination through writing.

I’m also an editor, having guest-edited the magazine Modern Poetry in Translation and edited the world’s first anthology of bisexual+ poets, Bi+ Lines. I have a razor-sharp eye for detail and love supporting students to develop their editing skills.