Launched at the Deptford Literature Festival in March 2024, our bold campaign to name Lewisham the UK’s first Borough of Literature has been steadily progressing all year. As 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to share an update on where we have got to so far, and what is still to come.
Meet our Advisory Group
Ten local Lewisham residents have signed up to become our Advisory Group. They have had their first meeting and will meet regularly in the coming months. Their role is to help us to shape the campaign and the bid that will be submitted in 2025 to hopefully make the Borough of Literature a reality. We’re thrilled to have brought together such a brilliant and enthusiastic group that includes local childrens authors, poets, fiction writers, arts professionals and educators. They are:
- Serena deCordova
- Michael Eades
- Karla Edwards
- Aimée Felone (Chair)
- Nadine Grandison Mills
- Jamie Hale
- Cllr Edison Huynh
- Lucy Macnab
- Jacob Sam-La Rose
- Ellie Spirrett
- Jacques Testard
- Becka White
You can learn more about the advisory group on our project page.
Some of the group have shared why they’re excited to be a part of the campaign to create a Borough of Literature in Lewisham:
“I am thrilled to join the Advisory Group, working towards the realisation of our goal to make Lewisham the UK’s first Borough of Literature. Achieving success would equip us with a powerful platform to boost writing and creativity in our communities.” – Nadine Grandison Mills
“Lewisham is chocka-block full of stories and storytellers – past, present and future. I’m so excited to work with my local community to show that creative activities can improve your life and provide opportunities, regardless of your age, background or income.” – Becka White
“Lewisham has a proud literary heritage, and is one of the best places on earth to encounter the written (or spoken or sung) word. It is a borough that’s full of creative energy, full of history and full of stories. It has been London’s Borough of Culture. Now’s the time to make it London’s first Borough of Literature!” – Dr Michael Eades
“I wanted to join the advisory panel because I work in the Lewisham community, and I am excited to work with arts organisations to include as many people as possible in the Borough of Literature!” – Ellie Spirrett
“I’m excited to be part of a campaign that celebrates Lewisham and uses storytelling to foster positive change in our community. As an educator in the borough, I have gained valuable insights into the perspectives of young people and my fellow educators. I look forward to sharing their perspectives.” – Karla Edwards
“I love the idea of Lewisham becoming a borough of literature and I am delighted to have been selected as a member of the Advisory Group. I am looking forward to working with the team and I am excited about beginning the work of exploring with them and the people of Lewisham, what a borough of literature might look like.” – Serena deCordova
“This year’s report by the National Literacy Trust reveals that just 1 in 3 children and young people enjoy reading in their own time. This is a rallying cry to all of us – parents, carers, schools, libraries, booksellers, writers, publishers and performers. It’s time for our community in Lewisham to come together and face this challenge. To lead the way with a commitment to creativity and our neighbourhood.” – Lucy Macnab
“Lewisham is a borough absolutely brimming with creativity – becoming Borough of Literature will showcase local talent and inspire the next generation of writers, poets, and artists!” – Councillor Edison Huynh
Our First Public Meeting
On 29 November we convened our first public meeting to gather ideas from local people about the shape our Borough of Literature should take.
We had around 30 people join us at the Albany for a session that started with a discussion about all the literature-related activity that is already happening in Lewisham. Just a few of the projects that came up were: writing workshops for domestic workers and survivors of modern-day slavery; local literature festivals in Deptford, Catford and Manor House Gardens; collecting stories from senior citizens to create a book; getting authors into local schools; and various projects connecting literture and nature.
After mapping existing activity, we started collectively generating ideas for what our Borough of Literature could look like. This first meeting was focused on engaging with local literature and arts organisations, so we asked: What are your priorities as a local artist/ arts organisation? And what would a thriving literature ecosystem in the borough look like?
According to the 2021 census, Lewisham has the highest proportion of residents who are Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African of any local authority area. Languages spoken in the borough include: Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, East Asian and South Asian languages, and languages from Africa (unfortunately no more detail about specific languages is available). Lewisham is also a Borough of Sanctuary and the council has a focus on being a welcoming place for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. It’s not surprising therefore that conversation at the meeting highlighted how important it is to celebrate and support the diverse population of Lewisham.
Some of the things meeting attendees suggested the campaign should prioritise were: increasing interest in literature in other languages; making sure Lewisham is a safe space for people to tell their own stories, including non-English speakers, writers in exile and the LGBTQI+ community; the importance of an intergenerational approach; and championing a diversity of art forms. A key focus was making sure that the campaign doesn’t leave any section of our local community behind.
For the group, a thriving ecosystem looked like: connecting what happens inside and outside of schools, as well as what comes after formal education; opportunities for writers to meet amongst themselves as a support network; opportunities for writers to meet with publishers; providing equal opportunities to emerging writers and established authors; having a mapped ecosystem with access to affordable spaces for literature-related activities; and clear routes to connect with local businesses and other organisations.
Join our next public meeting
This is just a snapshot of a really rich first discussion. We’d love to hear your thoughts too and have two more meetings coming up in the new year:
- Tuesday 4 February, an open meeting for anyone living and working in Lewisham to have their say.
- Tuesday 25 February, a meeting for educators working in primary and secondary schools or pupil referral units in Lewisham. This meeting will be run in partnership with LEAN, the Lewisham Arts and Education Network.
We will send out booking links for both meetings early in the new year. Please sign up to our newsletter if you’d like to receive the links.
‘To All The Places I Have Read’ Writers Commissioned
We received some really brilliant proposals for our Borough of Literature commissions, titled ‘To All The Places I Have Read’. This made the decision making really hard! We had planned to commission just three writers, but in the end we have chosen four proposals by writers from different parts of the borough.
The commissioned writers are: Tutku Barbaros, Fathima Zahra, Erica Hesketh and Amii Griffith.
We don’t want to say too much about the proposed projects – you’ll be able to read the pieces in full and hear extracts read aloud by the writers at Deptford Literature Festival, in March 2025. Until then, you can learn more about our commissioned writers on the Borough of Literature project page.