Portfolio

I create safe spaces for ordinary people to tell extraordinary stories.

Whether writing, facilitating or performing, my work is all about sharing honest stories, asking important questions and imagining hopeful futures.

Read my poems and process notes on Substack:

What we’ve been up to recently…

Afterschool Poetry Club? An open-mic in a primary school classroom? Yes please!

@rebeccarockerwrites is having a fantastic time working with pupils from Year 5 and 6 each Wednesday, writing and prepping poems for their performance at @swindonplatfo

Words by @rebeccarockerwrites written in a heatwave.

https://torncurtainjournal.substack.com/p/if-you-dont-know-what-to-write-write

Follow @torncurtainco

Poetry with Young People

Home - a Prime Youth Theatre and Create Studios Project

In 2025, over a series of workshops, I worked with 11-14 year olds to explore what ‘home’ and ‘belonging’ means to them. We co-wrote and recorded a poem to capture the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of home.

Streetlights - a Revolution Performing Arts and Swindon Paint Fest Project

Working with RPA and Swindon Paint Fest, I co-wrote a poem with 5-11 year olds responding to this street mural by local artist, Paul Exton. The young people performed their poem, plus a movement piece inspired by the mural, at the Wyvern Theatre in July 2024.

Our painting
is bright and exciting
like musical notes
like a line of sheet music
it makes me think of childhood.
When I think about childhood,
I feel sticky lollypops
I smell freshly baked muffins
I taste juicy strawberries on lovely vanilla cupcakes
I hear children running down the street
I hear two-year-olds crying over a grazed knee
I see massive teddies
I taste raspberries, strawberries, and cherries
I hear children complaining about broccoli.
Our painting looks
like a city of shapes
like a city in the future.
When I think about the future,
I see stars in space
I taste the McDonalds I’m going to have for tea.
When I grow up
I want to be a ballerina
I picture myself on a football pitch
I see myself as a paramedic
I imagine aliens in the sky
I see robots and technology
I see flying saucers in the air.
For me, the future is uncertain
I see shapes but I’m not sure what they mean
sometimes the shapes look upside down
but I can shape the future of my town
I can shape the future of my town.

WHAT I OFFER

Swindon Wordsmiths

I produce Swindon Wordsmiths, a quarterly poetry and comedy night created by local people, for local people. Hosted by Abbie Hope at The Well Church, the event platforms high-quality stand-up comedy and spoken word poetry, attracting audiences of 60-80 people.

Follow @swindonwordsmiths

Swindon Poetry Café

I produce and host the Swindon Poetry Café, a monthly open-mic for poets and songwriters at the cosy, family-run Caffe Vialottie in north Swindon. Twelve open-mic spots and one brilliant headliner offers local people an opportunity to connect over coffee and creativity.

Pop-Up Poetry

I find creative ways to engage the public with poetry, through hands-on, pop-up poetry activities. I was commissioned by the Swindon Culture Collective to work with visitors of all ages at Swindon Winter Fest 2025. I also designed and delivered STEM-themed pop-up poetry activities for families visiting the Festival of Tomorrow in February 2026.

Creative Journaling Workshops

I work with Shine PND (Post-Natal Depression) support group, a safe space for mothers affected by PND to take part in creative workshops. In my one-off ‘Intro to Creative Journaling’ workshops, I use poetry as a reflective tool to spark conversation and model vulnerability.

In June 2026, I partnered with local doula, Rosanna Kent (Odyssey of Motherhood), to launch Maternal Journal Swindon. Supported by Central Swindon North Parish Council, hosted at TWIGS Community Garden, this 6-week course helps mums and mums-to-be support their mental health as they navigate the complexities of motherhood.

One day the muslin cloths will lie motionless in the bottom drawer, no longer flung over sicky shoulders or pushed frantically into lifesaving bags.
One day the bedside crib that once invaded your space will be sold on Facebook Marketplace, destined for another sleepless mother.
One day, you will stop using words like ‘trimester’, ‘colic’ and ‘latch’.
One day the white noise soundtrack will go silent and contact naps will end. Blurry baby-led hours will stretch into school days; flexible spaces filled with conversation and choice.
One day the bamboo bowls with silicone suckers will be stuffed in cupboards behind big kid plates. Fussy eaters will shovel food in, not around, their mouths. Catchy bibs will rest after too many long shifts. Water wipes will go dry inside their packets.
One day the final few nappies will remain unsoiled, forgotten by bums that now sit on ceramic thrones.
One day, the buggy will wheel its last child to the park and you wont even notice.
One day, the car will just be a car, not a pressure cooker, 5-point trap, co-parent, nap machine, podcast palace or driveway retreat.
One day, restless nights, cracked nipples and constant crying will feel like loss and not resentment. The early days might even look like good old days if you colour them with nostalgia and squint at them long enough through rose tinted eyes, sparkling with pride.
One day, the things that mattered then won’t matter anymore. And they will somehow matter more.