Rhymes on the Rocks - a year of poetry in Stamford
Stamford’s beloved open mic night Rhymes on the Rocks will celebrate its one-year anniversary with a special event at Ink & Ember, a new bookshop café and creative community space in the heart of Stamford next week.
On Tuesday ( April 9), the evening will feature the launch of the first Rhymes on the Rocks community anthology, an open mic, and a friendly poetry slam to decide the night’s first-ever “Rhymer in Residence”.
Founded by poets Kia Went and Emmy Jenkins, Rhymes on the Rocks was born from a shared desire to create a space that champions unheard voices, particularly neurodiverse writers and women, and prioritises accessibility and inclusion. What began as a casual poetry night quickly grew into a thriving, supportive community of creatives.
Kia’s debut collection Connections and Emmy’s Gunpowder have both been met with strong local support, exploring themes of love, neurodivergence, self-discovery, and emotional complexity.
The anniversary event on 9th April will celebrate the launch of the first-ever Rhymes on the Rocks community anthology, showcasing poems from regular performers and new voices alike. There will also be local poetry books available for sale, offering guests the chance to support and connect with Stamford’s creative scene.
Alongside the open mic, Rhymes on the Rocks will be running a competition to crown its first Rhymer in Residence — a poet who will help host events, perform, support workshops, and contribute to shaping the future of the community.
Doors open at 6.30pm, and poets begin at 7pm.