Brittany Helmick
Poetry | Kent State University | Class of 2021
Brittany Helmick’s The Sky This Morning and the Mountain Below stands at the threshold between tenderness and heartache, presenting a tableau haunted by white kittens and orchards, dandelions and deer, and young girls who probably understand more about the world than we do. In “Elegy for Indigo” the speaker confides, “I /wanted the indigo ocean to hold a shell to its ear & / listen / for me.” Delivering one epiphany after the next, this poetry collection chronicles the empowerment of one individual, while lifting all of us up at the same time. —Mary Biddinger
About Brittany
Brittany Helmick (she/her) grew up in the high desert of the Pacific Northwest. She was a finalist for the Sustainable Arts Foundation’s Promise Award in 2019. Her work has appeared in Manastash, Akron Life Magazine, The Journal of American Language, Project Muse, and at Empty Mirror, with more work forthcoming at Sidereal and Rubbertop Review. She is still surprised by humidity and all its tricks.
BRITTANY'S FAST FACTS
Do you have any eccentric habits/strategies to get you started writing? What are they?
I’m not sure if it’s a strategy, but I always write poems in my head while showering. It’s probably because there’s no way I can write them down. That’s how it works for me; when it is as inconvenient as possible, *inspiration* strikes.
What’s your secret talent?
Whistling. That’s my claim to fame, I guess.
Writing-wise what are you currently working on?
A flash fiction series about four mischievous and resourceful girls.
© 2021 NEOMFA
English Department
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Ave., RT 1815
Cleveland, Ohio 44115