Poet and OH Jack Helme delivers workshop at HCS

By Year 12 reporter Lucy M

Poet and former pupil Jack Helme paid Hereford Cathedral School a visit last Thursday for a poetry workshop. 

Jack, who left HCS in 2016 to study English at Exeter University, spoke to the school’s Elite English Society about poetry and how it can be created in many different ways. 

He told the keen group of English students how he wants to change perceptions of poetry and show people that it can be anything you like it to be. 

Year 12 English literature student Helena T explained how Jack got the audience involved: “We all had to write a word on a piece of paper at the beginning of the talk and we passed it round, and by the end of the night we had created a whole poem just from that one word.” 

The poet’s versatility was noted by English literature student Eloise H, who said: “The word activity at the beginning got everyone thinking about poetry and I was really impressed and fascinated with what Jack said on the night.”

Jack spoke in detail about how poetry can appeal to everyone and anyone, and put the message across that you don’t have to be Shakespeare to write a poem.

His breakthrough in the poetry world came after posting his video ‘Talk’ on YouTube in 2017, as part of the #ItsOKtoTalk movement promoting mental health awareness.