Helen McKinlay is a published poet and children's author with a long term interest in live poetry and the promotion and encouragement of her fellow poets; as shown in her local radio series Writers on Radio, earlier in the millennium, her live poets group Poetry for Pudding at Borders Bookshop in Christchurch and her blog, gurglewords. Her children's books include the bestselling 'Grandma' picture books. In 2013 Grandma's Kiwi Christmas was chosen as the theme for Smith and Caughey's famous Christmas windows and in 2018, Grandma Joins the All Blacks was listed in the 'Booksellers' Top 20 Bestsellers of the Decade.' Her children's stories have been popular on National Radio.