Writer Spotlight: Amanda Helms
Welcome to the 24th installment of Writer Spotlight. This week’s focus is Amanda Helms. I’ve reviewed 13 of Helms’s pieces, nine of them individually on InkFoundry’s “Get WYSR” feed. (In case you didn’t know, InkFoundry is a wonderful and free resource that aggregates short fiction and poetry pieces!)
Recurring Themes:
Grief/Loss
Multiple Differing Parent/Child Dynamics
Lack of Transparency/Obfuscating Truth
Use of Second Person (You)
Day One - July 30
“The Worth of Ashes” | WYSR Review
Aselya struggles to feed her children and ends up selling her sister's ashes.
“The House, The Witch, the Sugarcane Stalks” | WYSR Review
The witch’s house, made of dessert, is particularly suspicious of strangers.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These two stories were pretty different!
Individually:
"The Worth of Ashes” This short story is chock full of bittersweet grief from the passing of the MC’s sister. Firall’s personality lent a welcome lightheartedness to this story centering around the idea of trading the dead. There is also a theme of regrowth from that grief finally being processed towards the end, in the symbol of the lentils growing from the ashes.
"The House, The Witch, the Sugarcane Stalks” This one has a sentient house made of dessert! The witch is Creole, as well, and there is a theme of racism and implied slavery that the witch has escaped.
Day Two - July 31
3. “On the Autonomy of Whales”
A whale’s conversation is translated to human speech, saying that she doesn’t want to have a calf.
4. “Alleles” | WYSR Review
In her long illness, Maddie’s mother’s face has become a swarm of ants.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These stories both have the dynamics of mothers and their children, one from the POV of a mother, one from the POV of a daughter. This reminded me of the “The Worth of Ashes.”
Individually:
“Alleles” This little flash had chronic illness, specifically dementia, and caregiver fatigue, wrapped up in the body horror of ants coming out of a person/covering their face. This reminded me of “The Worth of Ashes” in that in the midst of grief, I think Aselya had a fair amount of caregiver fatigue.
“On the Autonomy of Whales” The voice in this story is conversational, in the medium of an interview and a POV of “I” speaking to a hypothetical “you,” which made the story arresting along with the content, which was very arresting: the idea of whales deciding not to have calves. Pro-choice whales, even in the face of their species being endangered. I loved this story. I especially loved this line: “The best parents are those who wanted to be parents in the first place.”
There is also a theme of race in this, as the narrator compares those who would wish to take away the whales’ choice with that of the lack of abortion especially for black and brown people.
Day Three - Aug 1
5 & 6. “Sever and Bind” | WYSR Review
If Nevaline can bring her mother’s ghost to the Lord of the Dusklands he has sworn to cut the bond tying Nevaline to him.
“Sever and Bind” This story reflects on the estrangement between a mother and daughter, reminding me of the strain between the mother and her child Sage in “The Autonomy of Whales,” and in “The Worth of Ashes” between the mother and her son, Bartrum. This story goes much further, though, than simple strain or resentment, there is cruelty and manipulation from Nevaline’s mother, and yet Nevaline still loves her. This theme of loving the abuser is heartwrenching, especially underscored by the nature of the dog, Shade. I’ve noticed that Helms does really with symbolism. The dog’s love seems to be a symbol for Nevaline’s love for her mother. In “Alleles” I felt that the ants symbolized caregiver fatigue.
Helms also touches on racism in this story, which reminds me of “Sugarcane Stalks” and “The Autonomy of Whales,” though the racism seems to mostly come from the MC’s own mother.
Day Four - Aug 2
7. “The God, Descendent” | WYSR Review
The Rising God and the Falling God have always risen and fallen - but what if they could change that?
8. “Sunnyside Daycare Employees’ Chat Log, Post Alien Takeover” | WYSR Review
The aliens need Tenesha's help with the tiny humans.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These stories are both flash pieces.
Individually:
“The God Descendent” This story has forces of nature as gods, which they yearn to change.
“Sunnyside Daycare Employees’ Chat Log, Post Alien Takeover” This story is hilarious, told through the medium of a chat log. It includes childcare, an alien takeover, and a theme of the importance of said childcare and how underappreciated the workers are.
Day Five - Aug 3
9. “Shopping at the Soulpatch Consignment Store”
Claudia and her son Nate shop for soul patches, but Nate doesn’t seem enthused.
Nana has dictated that one of her grandchildren inherit her memories.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
Both these stories include interesting methods in which people can copy/paste parts of themselves onto others.
Individually:
“Shopping at the Soulpatch Consignment Store” This story has a mother trying to relate to her son. This continues the theme of mothers and their children as seen in “Sever and Bind,” “On the Autonomy of Whales,” “Worth of Ashes,” and “Alleles.” More specifically, the son is a reticent child, unsure of himself, though there is love between them. This dynamic reminds me of Sage and their mother in “The Autonomy of Whales.”
“Nana Inheritance” This story involves processing grief but in a very interesting way; that of incorporating someone’s memories into someone else. There’s also a lot of comedic lines around sibling rivalries all wrapped up in a lighthearted tone. After some reflection, I also realized a connection between this story and “Sever and Bind” and “Autonomy of Whales” in that in these three stories the main conflict centers around the parent/grandparent not telling their children/grandchildren about something.
Day Six - Aug 4
11. “The Last PoMatic” | WYSR Review
The last PoMatic remembers the patron who comes asking for a poem.
The narrator has lost their mother and watches her be recycled.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These two stories both display themes of grief after a loved one’s passing. Both of these reminded me of “The Worth of Ashes” and “Alleles.” The grief in each of these stories were different but the melancholic, bittersweet tone felt similar. In contrast, “Nana Inheritance” had similar content, but a differing tone.
Individually:
“The Last PoMatic” This sweet flash has an endearing robot and themes of grief. I’m not absolutely for sure but I think the father lost his child.
“Grasping Trees” This little 100 word story packs a punch. The recycling element reminded me specifically of “Worth of Ashes.” Helms is a master of ending lines!
Day Seven - Aug 5
13. “Midwifery of Gods” | WYSR Review
A primer for midwives blessed . . . or cursed . . . to be summoned by a deity.
14. “How to Give Your Toddler a Tail” | WYSR Review
Your daughter is exhibiting signs of being a mermaid. It's time to visit your father.
The Pairing: (Spoilers)
These two stories both address the reader as “you,” which reminded me of “Autonomy of Whales.”
Individually:
“Midwifery of Gods” This story was funny and had a lot of sharp witticisms about gods, which I loved.
“How to Give Your Toddler a Tail” This story continued the theme of mother-daughter and also father-daughter dynamics. The grief seems to be centered around the loss of self, both in the father (losing his tail) and the narrator, in how she felt a lack of identity from not being told earlier in her life about her heritage/identity. This again reminded me of “Autonomy of Whales” and “Nana Inheritance” in that the main conflict revolved around the parent/grandparent not telling their child/grandchildren about something that mattered. This happened as well in “Sever and Bind,” though it didn’t seem to be the main conflict there.
Emmie’s Personal Favorite: “The Autonomy of Whales”
Summary!
If I were to summarize Helms's style in one sentence, I would say she often reflects on themes of parent-child dynamics, grief/loss, and a lack of transparency.
Interview Questions
What are the themes you tend to return to the most in your work overall? Why do think that is?
Helms: Of late, a recurring theme has been motherhood and mother-child relationships, as with "On the Autonomy of Whales," "The Worth of Ashes," "Shopping at the Soul Patch Consignment Store," and "A Carapace of Coral." Those feature the mother as the protagonist or main character, but some stories I have that are about the parent-child relationship and from the child's POV are "alleles" and "Sever and Bind." I know exactly why I keep returning to this: it's because of my own kid, lol! She was 9 months old when the pandemic lockdowns started, and between the stress of that and having an infant in general, I developed a lot of Feelings around parenthood and trying to be a good parent who meets my kid's needs, while also at times dealing with overwhelm with the fact that motherhood and parenting is hard.
I was on a panel on the topic of "Monstrous Motherhood" at World Fantasy Con in 2024. On that panel, I mentioned that one thing I love about short fiction is that you can focus on a theme or topic for the duration of that work, and then move on. So yes, some of my stories are about "the horror of motherhood," and also the feelings of body horror that can come up with, say, breastfeeding ("A Carapace of Coral"; "Sever and Bind" features a monstrous mother where the child is the protagonist and working to overcome her mother's literal ghost). Others are about wanting the very best for your child and yet feeling unable to provide that ("The Worth of Ashes") and still others are about the fears of pressing a child too hard and also understanding that the purpose of parenting is to help create a person capable of making their own decisions and leading their own life ("Shopping at the Soul Patch Consignment Store"; "On the Autonomy of Whales").
No one of these stories individually captures the gamut of my feelings about motherhood, and many are exaggerated past what I've actually felt. But taken as a whole, they I think reflect the simultaneous terror and joy of being responsible for the, first of all, the safety of a baby, then child, but also that baby-then-child's development into a hopefully kind and empathetic person.
2. What character(s) in these pieces do you relate to the most?
Helms: This is always in-flux for me, because as I evolve as a person, I tend to write characters who either match or hold a mirror up to who I feel I am. But for right now, I'd say it's firstly Aselya in "The Worth of Ashes." Though thankfully my family isn't struggling as much as what I depict in that story, I definitely share her worry over how to keep her kids safe in a precarious world. Secondly, it's Dessa in "On the Autonomy of Whales," for representing, when all is said and done, my aspirations for the sort of relationship I'm hoping for when my kid is grown.
3. How Has Your Writing Evolved Since You Began?
Helms: I think as is often common, I'm a lot pickier about starting a story in the first place than I used to be. When I was first writing, I'd come up with my neato premise and write it, but discovered that if I didn't have an underlying theme, it resulted in a "just okay" story. Perfectly fine in the moment, but ultimately forgettable because it operated on a single level. Now, I find that if I don't feel I truly have something to say about a particular topic or premise to develop in the subtext, I just don't write it. I recognize better whether an idea has some of my true heart behind it, I guess!
4. Do you tend to start writing a story idea out of a particular element, like character, setting, or point of view?
Helms: I most often start from premise first. For "The Worth of Ashes," it was: what if loved ones' ashes were treated as currency? And the characters filled in from that--I needed loved ones, after all! But character is often tied in so closely to premise for me, it's hard to parse it out exactly, because I start thinking how characters would react to the premise and why, and who'd be hit hardest by it. And then in developing the character, I continue to refine the premise.
5. What short fiction author do you look up to? Why?
Helms: Permit me to be a little biased as I rattle off my writing group! Aimee Picchi shares my recurring theme of motherhood, with bonus underlying rage at the patriarchy, as in"Tailgating at the Wild Hunt." Alexei Collier does excellent work in flash with nontraditional formats--I'm doubly biased for "Dear Joriah Kingsbane, It's Me, Eviscerix the Sword of Destiny" because Diabolical Plots, where I was a first reader at thetime of its publication and am now an editor, recognized its brilliance and published it! Beth Goder is so good at creating whimsical premises that revel in their weirdness until you get hit upside the head with a heartbreaking theme, as in "Sunflower Loop". Dawn Bonanno writes fiction that comes in the form of a soft, comforting hug, as with all the stories in her collection Sunflowers in the Snow, listed here:https://dmbonanno.com/books-for-purchase/. And last only because I'm going in alphabetical order, Risa Wolf is a star at depicting nonhuman POVs with empathy and poignancy, whether it's a space station ("Tigers for Sale") or dog ("Wiggle All Happy").
6. Anything else you’d like to say about your work?
Helms: Not about my work, but I want to reiterate my thanks for you taking on this wonderful project! As short fiction writers, I think we feel so often that our work simply disappears into the ether a week (or even sooner) after it publishes, so I'm really grateful you're taking the time to read and appreciate authors' works and also contextualize the pieces in this manner. Thank you! ♥️
7. Do you have any piece, listed here or otherwise, that you would like to promote?
Helms: Again, I know it's not free to read, but the story I'd most love promoted is "On the Autonomy of Whales"! I feel it best captures the (current) end-point on my feelings about parenting, and I think that with everything going on in the US right now, it's particularly timely.