On 4 February we held the second public meeting for our Lewisham, Borough of Literature campaign. The campaign aims to see Lewisham declared as the UK’s first Borough of Literature in order to give our borough recognition, drive funding towards word-related activities in the area, and give existing and new, talented writers and audiences more opportunities to develop their creativity and share their work.
The meeting on 4 February aimed to bring together local community members and grassroots community groups. The session, which was held at the Fellowship Inn in Bellingham, followed the same broad agenda as our first meeting.
We started with a mapping exercise to understand what word-related events and projects already exist in Lewisham. Participants shared a broad range of existing activities such as local book groups, scratch nights, festivals, adult literacy and numeracy classes, creative writing sesssions, libraries and cafes that offer a programme of events.
From there, we moved on to imagining what a ‘Borough of Literature’ could look like and the group had loads of brilliant ideas. Some key concerns included: supporting children and young people to read for pleasure; creating opportunities in the many different languages spoken in Lewisham, not just in English; making sure it is a celebration for everyone that brings literature to people where they are; commemorating famous local authors like H. G. Wells and E. Nesbit; creating intergenerational spaces; and enabling young people to understand the career paths available to them in publishing, writing and literature more broadly.
Lewisham is an incredibly diverse borough and making sure that the Borough of Literature campaign is truly for all local people is a priority for the team, as well as being raised at all of our meetings so far by local participants. Alongside English, languages spoken in the borough according to the 2021 census include: Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, East Asian and South Asian languages, and languages from Africa. Unfortunately, more detailed information about languages spoken was not available in 2021 census data. 0.5% of the local population cannot speak English and a further 2.8% cannot speak it well. For the Borough of Literature, activities carried out in other languages and focused on translation will be important to make sure that everyone living in Lewisham has the opportunity to take part.
Next, we talked about what a thriving literature ecosystem in the borough would look like. Key points included: funding; accessible venues; and opportunities in all types of literature and creative activities, from poetry to photography.
Finally, we asked what difference a Borough of Literautre could make to Lewisham residents. The conversation covered: buiding a collective sense of pride in the area and it’s different communities; creating a strong legacy of increased opportunities and recognition for the borough; preserving the local history of migration; and reinvigorating local venues and businesses.
On Tuesday 25 February we will be popping up at a LEAN (Lewisham Education Arts Network) meeting to talk to local teachers about the Lewisham Borough of Literature. If you are not a teacher but would love to share your ideas for the campaign, we will hold another public meeting during Deptford Literature Festival on Saturday 29 March. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet our advisory group and hear commissioned writers read their pieces about Lewisham. The meeting is free to attend but places must be booked.