Ten Minutes with Helena Pantsis
Helena Pantsis (she/they) is a poet and writer from Naarm, Australia, and a full-time student of psychology and creative writing with a fond appreciation for the gritty, the dark, and the experimental. She has works published or forthcoming in Voiceworks, Farrago, and Meanjin. More of her work can be found at hlnpnts.com.
When did you become a poet? How did you know it was the right medium for your stories?
It was in my final year of high school, we were studying Sylvia Plath and breaking it down, and I thought to myself “I could do that,” which definitely makes me seem egocentric when comparing myself to a poet widely beloved, but the thing was that everyone in my class was finding so much in so little. I wanted to do that too, and I hadn’t written creatively since I was a child, but I tried my hand at it, posted it to Instagram and got a really lovely response from my peers. It encouraged me to take it up seriously, and this introduction to poetry reignited my love for writing in all genres.
What inspires you to write?
Writing is really a release valve for me. It’s like I build up with so much pressure, and the writing of things down just eases that, allows me to reflect and make sense of thing in a way that flexes my creative muscles. I’ve always loved to write, as most writers express, and the articulation of feelings and experiences through language is the most natural way I can unburden myself.
What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading Cherry Beach by Laura McPhee-Brown!
What are some common themes you see in your own work?
My work revolves around my deep-rooted anxieties, that’s why you see a lot of discussion of food and the body in my work, as well as topics such as death and burials. I like to pick the body apart, kill it and revive it in my work, and the form of poetry really allows me to do that.
How do you beat writer's block?
I think the only answer to this is time and reading. Immersing yourself in work you love generally encourages the creation of work like it—more often, though, writer’s block is a mental game, and if you’re not ready to write again, you might just have to wait it out and let your passion to write refresh itself.
Do you feel that sharing your poetry is a vulnerable process?
Absolutely. Poetry is definitely one of the rawest mediums, born from most contemporary and confessional poets as an expression of the self. It’s such a confronting feeling to know someone has read your poetry—essentially looked into a part of your soul, the gritty, dark parts of you that are only born in verse and lyric—and puts the reader in a real position of power over you as the poet. When I share my poetry, I feel like a child sharing a drawing with a parent, hoping that something will be seen in it, hoping that it makes some semblance of sense.
Do you take poetry classes or read books on poetry?
I’m majoring in creative writing, so poetry is a huge part of what I study. The thing is, most courses encourage very rigid, old forms of poetry, so even with classes I find I’m mainly inspired and learning from contemporary poets whom I read in literary zines and online forums. Social media is an amazing way to share and grow your audience, allowing people to upload works that traditional forms of media neglect to platform.
Do family and "real life" friends read your work?
I am extremely hesitant about allowing the people who know me in real life to read my poetry. It is such a tender part of you that goes into the poetry, so revealing that to people to think of you one way or another, kind of alters that perception somewhat, and personally I don’t really think I’m ready for the people around me to see me like that.
What does "good poetry" mean to you?
This is such a subjective thing because, at the end of the day, it’s a complicated thing to say what isn’t poetry. So good poetry just comes down to personal preference. I guess for me, it just has to make me feel something, or make me think. A really good poem is something that lingers long after the poem’s been read.
What is your writing process like?
Spontaneous. Most poems don’t come planned, they come from me lying in the dark with my notes app opening scrawling half-formed thoughts. However, when I plan to write poetry, I like to open the poems that I’d saved as inspiration and write while I read, that way the inspiration seeps into my work, and I can form my thoughts more similarly to the writers who I aspire to write like.