‘Unheard Histories, Untold Stories’: this year’s festival celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performances
Returning for another year, Deptford Literature Festival 2024 is taking place on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March and will be hosted by Spread the Word – London’s literature development organisation based at the Albany – in collaboration with independent producer Tom MacAndrew.
Funded by Arts Council England, the place-making festival has commissioned 38 local writers from Deptford and Lewisham for this year’s events, with 80% of the festival artists coming from south London.
With the local community at its heart, the theme for this year is ‘Unheard Histories, Untold Stories’. Through words, stories and performances, the events will celebrate the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham.
Producer Tom MacAndrew says: “Deptford Literature Festival is about saying that literature happens here, on our doorsteps. It’s wonderful to have so many local authors and publishers taking part.”
Launch event: £10. All other events: Free. Book online:
www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/deptford-literature-festival/
The Weekender’s festival highlights
All events are on Saturday 16 March and are free to attend
Yoga and books with Laurie and Gemma Bolger – 10am-11am, Main Hall, Deptford Lounge.
Kickstart your Festival day by joining yogi Gemma Bolger and local writer Laurie Bolger as they guide you through a blissful 60 minutes of yoga and books: mixing slow-flow yoga with mindful journaling.
Meet the editors with Aliya Gulamani, Eishar Brar and Marianne Tatepo – 10am-11am, The Studio, Deptford Lounge
Connect with some of the leading editors and publishers working in the publishing industry today: Aliya Gulamani, commissioning editor at Unbound, the world’s first crowdfunding publisher, Eishar Brar, editorial director at Knights Of, an inclusive publisher focused on publishing underrepresented voices, and Marianne Tatepo, publishing director for Penguin Random House non-fiction imprint, Square Peg (Vintage).
You’ll get an insight into what an editor does, how they work with writers and the opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the publishing industry. Hosted by Spread the Word’s Bobby Nayyar.
The Wild Ones with Bernadette Russell – 11am-12pm, Brookmill Park
Join Deptford storyteller and author Bernadette Russell in Brookmill Park for a morning of tales from the wild side of SE8; starring foxes, magpies, river spirits and other, stranger, mythical beings.
Soft Curses + F*uck Poems with Inua Ellams – 2pm-3:30pm, Room 1, Deptford Lounge
For the longest time, Inua Ellams believed it showed linguistic laziness to swear or to include profanity in poetry.
He believed it claimed the space for a more visceral, aggressive, wounding, precise language and to settle on any four-letter word showed a distinct lack of imagination. Inspired by James Brown, he started writing The Actual F**k, a book of poems, each titled with that ubiquitous word.
Inua’s workshop on offensive language and indirect insults will discuss and dissect the pros and cons of using, and the various approaches to writing bad language.
Queer poetry night with Dean Atta, Caroline Bird and SL Grange – doors: 6pm-11pm, event: 7pm-9pm, Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre
Celebrate all flavours of poetry and creative writing at Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre.
Hosted by SL Grange, enjoy headline sets from Dean Atta and Caroline Bird. Plus, you can put your name in the hat for one of the open mic slots, or if you’re more of a print poet, bring your page or concrete texts to add to the free, open-to-all gallery.
This event is for a Queer audience and allies.
