Credit: Kashif Haque
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While most of your literary-based activities will be done in solitude, tucked away in a corner with your face buried in a paperback, it’s always nice to gather with fellow lovers of the written word. Deptford Literature Festival provides a space to do just that, returning to South London in March for a programme of more than 30 events, featuring talks, spoken word, writing workshops, and live readings.
At the festival, you’ll be able to catch appearences from both emerging and established voices in Lewisham, South East London, and beyond, with names including Sarah Howe, Jimi Famurewa, Leone Ross, Francis Spufford, and more! There are events taking place for both children and adults, making it a possible day out for the entire family this spring.
Credit: MaddMann Photography Deptford Literature Festival
The bulk of the activities takes place all in one day on Saturday, March 28, but there will also be a series of free events taking place on the week beforehand. Head over to Poetry In The Library with peots Fathima Zahra and Jack Underwood; attend a Lewisham Writes workshop with Erica Hesketh; or pop along to the spoken word session, ‘Lewisham Libraries Celebrates Local Writers’.
Taking over Deptford Lounge on March 28, you’ll find a stacked lineup of events taking place in this edition of the Deptford Literature Festival. Catch Jimi Famurewa, Derek Owusu, and Aniefiok Ekpoudom in discussion with Natty Kasambala in a session titled ‘Navigating Culture: Black Male Writers on Britain Today’.
Credit: Kashif Haque
In another group talk, titled ‘Mother Tongue: Poetry, Family + Inheritance’, you’ll be able to listen to Sarah Howe, Erica Hesketh, and Karen Downs-Barton speaking to April Yee about matrilineage and family.
Elsewhere, budding writers can attend ‘Lewisham Writers’ Link Up’, with Tatku Barbaros hosting an event to inspire attendes and offer support, with an open industry clinic included. There will also be a celebration of ‘Mouth Mek Fi Nyam Windrush Project’, which takes the form of “readings and discussion from acclaimed writers and scholars, including Leone Ross, Joan Anim-Addo, Marl’Ene Edwin, Yvonne Robinson, Jacqueline Codrington, Jean Dowling, Laura Annansingh and the Caribbean elders who took part in the project.”
Credit: MaddMann Photography
Also featured on the day at Deptford Lounge is a programme for children and young people, which includes a session with Stephen Lightbown for 8-11 year olds on how they can create poetry by writing letters to themselves.
Speaking on the festival, Ruth Harrison, Director of London Writers Centre, said: “The festival, now in its fifth edition, has always been about sharing and hearing unheard and untold stories. In these challenging times we live in, the festival creates spaces to meet and have conversations, where writers and local people can feel part of a dynamic and interesting community. In its truest form, Deptford Literature Festival is there to challenge, celebrate and support new things being discovered and experienced, and that’s what we all get excited about.”
Deptford Literature Festival takes place on Saturday, March 28 at Deptford Lounge, with some free events also taking place in the week before the main day. Find out more and book events at the festival here.