The Jawbone Collective: Voices from the Southwest

The Jawbone Journey

Cultivating an Inclusive Creative Community

Our Story

The Collective was founded on the intentions of two poets, Tom Rogers and Peter Roe. They had a wish to share the skills they have learnt on their poetry journeys by offering their support to other emerging writers. Both Peter and Tom believed that it would be important to cultivate an inclusive creative community where a wider audience could hear these vital and important voices.

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Watch the video below to find out more about Jawbone

This video was published November 2024

At the Helm

Supporting voices often unheard in the arts.

Peter Roe and Megan Simson have worked voluntarily and with great commitment over the last three years to build The Jawbone Collective into a high-impact, vigorous force for the arts and the spoken word community of West Dorset and the wider Southwest. Under their helm, the collective has achieved extraordinary milestones, cultivating a vibrant community of creatives through open mic spoken word nights, workshops, and the publication of the Jawbone Journal (with Volumes 1 and 2 established, and Volume 3 on the way).

A defining moment of this leadership was the delivery of Omniverse West Dorset, an ambitious initiative that solidified the collective's ability to drive large-scale, forward-thinking cultural projects that build lasting platforms for the diverse voices of our community.

Omniverse West Dorset & The Poetry Trail (2025)

A major highlight of 2025 was Omniverse West Dorset, a series of 15 events delivered alongside a dedicated public art project for the local Towns of Culture celebrations. This initiative brought literature directly into the community through dynamic poetry showcases, open mic nights, and inclusive workshops designed to nurture local talent.

A core feature of the project was an expansive poetry trail featuring 30 poems mapped across Weymouth and Portland. At its heart, the trail was a celebration of local identity, curated entirely from community submissions that captured how residents view, experience, and live within their towns. By weaving these personal reflections directly into the physical landscape, the trail explored a shared, authentic sense of place and gave ownership of the local culture back to the community itself.

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Cultural Collaborations

The impact of this work is sustained by deep roots within the region's cultural network. Peter and Megan frequently represent the collective at regional literary events and festivals, working in close partnership with leading cultural institutions, heritage bodies, and creative hubs, including Dorchester Arts, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, the Dorset History Centre, The Thomas Hardy Society, and Bridport Arts Centre.