Helen Mort

I write poetry, fiction and non-fiction. What all of my work seems to have in common is a preoccupation with places and the ways they shape our sense of identity. In particular, I can’t seem to stop writing about Sheffield and the Peak District, the urban-rural gritstone-and-heather rain-soaked landscape I grew up knowing. 

When I’m not writing, I’m a runner and a climber and I’ve edited trail running guides: a nice challenge for someone used to working with metaphor. A lot of my ideas find their form when I’m outside instead of at my desk. My current project is a non-fiction book about mothers, sons and mountaineering, forthcoming from Ebury in 2022.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan and have a background in community art projects. For several years I was Derbyshire’s Poet Laureate!