Helene Castles admits to having a life-long obsession with literature, words and with reading and writing poetry. Taught in a rural one-teacher school where grades one to six were all in one room, the Victorian Readers, Books 1 to 8 were rich in poetry and story and were available to every student, at any age, if they chose to listen outside their own class-time. Helene’s father recited poetry to the children at night.
Being a member of the Goulburn Valley Writers’ Group Inc. has added an opportunity to be involved in Festivals and workshops over many years.
Competitions:
Winner of the C J Dennis Poetry Competition 2019. Highly Commended in 2021.
Shortlisted 2010 in the Joseph Furphy Poetry Competition. Finalist twice in 2018.
Third place in the 2018 Ruqayyah Ibourki Ekphrasis Poetry Competition.
Publications:
Strings of Life in 2011
Within the Light 2021
Published in Literary Journals: tamba, Quadrant, Sparx 8 and 9.
Anthologies published by Ginninderra Press: Milestones, I Protest, Wild and First Refuge.