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Hi, I’m Jazmine Cartwright, a poet and writer from Rushden, Northamptonshire.

I’ve been writing and reading poetry for as long as I can remember. My nan often took me to charity shops and libraries, so really found a love for it there!  

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I studied Creative Writing and Journalism at university and graduated with a 2:1. During that time I wrote my debut poetry collection 'Upgrade'. It was a massive achievement at the time but looking back I definitely cringe at the poems, not because they're bad but because that book didn't include enough rawness. It was nice and poetic, focusing on nature but wasn't me. My second book took a few years to write and in that time I lost my dad, this book 'Rebirth' was the most authentic I had ever been.

 

I was living in Rushden at that point and moved in with my other half Kieran. I was occasionally traveling about going back to the Leicester poetry scene and still wasn't driving which wasn't easy, there were lot's of buses, trains, walking and staying on mates sofas just so I could hear some poetry. I was in a rough place and needed something closer, something warm, something more. So, I spoke to Sally Hunt, a lovely creative person who had just started renting an art studio. We had a coffee and a long chat and I realised that I could start a poetry night. That’s how Rushden Rhymes began in October 2024. It started as an idea, a local poetry night where anyone could get up, speak, and be heard and it’s grown into a small community that I’m incredibly proud of. We have had so many first time performers who have become 'Rusden Rhymes Regulars'.

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I’ve never been in it for profit. For me, poetry has always been about people, community and being local.