Pastor, Helena

Helena Pastor is a Dutch-Australian writer who is passionate about the social justice possibilities of her work. Through memoir and fiction, she hopes to influence the way people think and feel about topics including troubled youth, pregnancy and birth choices, growing up in an immigrant family, and recovering a lost Jewish identity. Her writing has attracted two Australian Society of Authors’ Mentorships, along with a number of residencies at Varuna Writers’ House and Bundanon. She has extensive experience as an educator, and has worked with groups ranging from Bosnian refugees to university-level creative writing students. Helena is also a songwriter and performer, and has recently begun recording her music. She lives in Armidale, and has four sons and a grandson.;