"Helen Rice's poems are important: they're funny, honest and human."
- Helen Mort, Poet and Novelist
 
Step or ‘blended’ families are the fastest-growing family type in the UK, with an estimated one in three families now fitting this description. Yet throughout history and across cultures, from fairytales to Fleabag, the stepmother is rarely portrayed positively. Surely every stepmother can’t be wicked..?
 
In I’m Not Your Mother, writer and performer Helen Rice reflects on the experience of reaching middle age and being technically childless yet, in her roles as a stepmum and auntie, living a life that is certainly not childfree. These poems explore the feelings this complex identity has inspired alongside the effort, passion, disappointment and love that go into sustaining a delicate family ecosystem.
 
"Helen’s poetry is lighthearted and engaging, tackling large themes without pretension, and taking on serious topics without ever taking itself too seriously."
- Leanne Moden, Poet