The Society has teamed up with the church community in Rusthall to organise an evening of poetry on 4th July, 2025. The event will be at the Church Centre in Rusthall Road. It begins at 7.00 pm, but doors open at 6.30 pm and there will be snacks and drinks. Entry is free.
Readers. Part of the 175th anniversary celebration of St Paul’s Church in the village, the event will be compered by Charlie Bell, and will feature readings by four other Society members: Susan Wicks, Mims Sully, Jess Mookherjee and David Smith.
Open Mic. In addition, we are encouraging Rusthall residents to bring a poem of their own to read in Open Mic. Poems should be limited to 40 lines, so as to allow enough time for as many people as possible to take part. To secure your spot, Rusthall residents should email office@stpaulsrusthall.org.uk. While preference will be given to Rusthall residents for the Open Mic, if you are from outside the village please feel free to bring a poem and sign up on the night, if slots are still available.
The event is being support by a grant from the Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival.
Mims Sully is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominated poet. Her mother and partner both grew up in Tunbridge Wells, her grandfather taught English at Skinner’s school and her parents retired here. Mims moved to the area to care for her mother who had dementia, an experience which has inspired much of her poetry. She is hoping to relocate to Rusthall soon, to be closer to family.
Jessica Mookherjee is a poet of Bengali heritage. She was brought up in Mumbles, Wales. She spent many years in London before moving to Rusthall. She has worked in Public Health for over 20 years and has a background in psychology and biological anthropology and socio-ecology. Her book Tigress (Nine Arches Press) was shortlisted for best second collection in the Ledbury Munthe Prize in 2021. Her book Notes from a Shipwreck was published by Nine Arches Press in 2022. In 2023 Broken Sleep Books published her long London poem, Desire Lines. Jessica is a board member of the Poetry Society and a Co-Editor of Against the Grain Poetry Press.
Susan Wicks was born in Tunbridge Wells and grew up in Kent. She has published eight collections of poetry, three novels and a short memoir, Driving My Father (Faber, 1997) and translated two books by the French poet, Valérie Rouzeau. Her first book, Singing Underwater (Faber, 1992) won the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Prize. More recent awards have included a Cholmondeley in 2023. Her latest book, centred on the St. John’s area of Tunbridge Wells, is Dear Crane (Bloodaxe, 2021).
David Smith is a writer, poet and performer who, with the exception of a disastrous year in Australia has never wandered too far from his hometown of Tunbridge Wells. David writes serious poetry that is tinged with humour, and humorous poetry that can pack a serious punch. It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference. While largely shying away from publication in favour of live performance, he has been a regular contributor to the Kent and Sussex Poetry Society’s annual Folio for well over a decade. As a performer of spoken word and comedy he has graced the stages of festivals, fringe events, poetry slams and other community projects, including live and recorded appearances for BBC Radio. He also served on the committee of the Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival throughout its active years, coordinating many of the festival’s live events with long-term collaborator Peppy Scott.
Charlie Bell is well known in the area as a poet and tutor of creative writing. He writes and performs his own poetry and holds events to raise money for charity. He has been the Chair of the Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival and is currently Director of a company running creative and recreational events for those with and without disabilities. Recently he won an international poetry competition where the prize was to have the poem performed in a play called Desert Poet at the Cockpit Theatre.
The Kent & Sussex Poetry Society 