Hear the next generation of literary stars unveil new work, followed by an animated discussion, hosted by Olumide Popoola and Joelle Taylor.
Free to attend. BOOK VIA EVENTBRITE HERE.
Hear the next generation of literary stars at this event showcasing bold new work by emerging writers from underrepresented backgrounds, commissioned as part of Spread the Word’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Hosted by award-winning writers Joelle Taylor and Olumide Popoola, this event highlights fresh perspectives from underrepresented voices in poetry, fiction, and narrative non-fiction, sharing new work from emerging writers Giselle Cory, Eliezer Gore and Naomi Walsh. It will be followed by an engaging discussion about the creative process, inspiration, and the impact of being commissioned. The commissions are supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation.
You’ll also be able to pick up a copy of the Festival Anthology which features all three commissions.
These commissions are supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation.
Access information:
- All of our in-person events Friday-Sunday, including this one, will be BSL Interpreted for audiences that require it. For workshops, you will be asked when booking your free ticket if you require the services of a BSL interpreter. For all workshops where one or more attendees require BSL interpretation, we will arrange for an interpreter to be there.
- This event is wheelchair accessible, with accessible toilets.
- Deptford Lounge has Changing Place facilities, an induction loop and assistance dogs are welcome. For more information: deptfordlounge.org.uk/access
- A quiet space is available during the day at Deptford Lounge, in the Music Room, on the first floor.
- If you require additional access provision in order to attend or take part in the Festival, for example, larger print handouts at workshops, or a scribe, please get in touch before the Festival day at: [email protected]
- If you require assistance on the Festival day itself, please come to the Festival Hub in the foyer of Deptford Lounge where we will be happy to help you.
- For more information about the access provision available, please visit: spreadtheword.org.uk/access-at-deptford-literature-festival
Artists and funders
Eliezer Gore
Festival Artist
See More
Eliezer Gore is a Zimbabwean-born artist who was raised in Lewisham. Through his art he transforms concrete reality, unveiling magical surrealist landscapes to deliver joyous affirming narratives.This year he staged an extract of his debut play “Return to Soil” at Catford Broadway for Lewisham Youth Theatre’s Hatch Festival. He is the 2024 Roundhouse poetry slam runner up, Born:: Free Writers Collective Alum and a Soho Writers Lab alum.
Giselle Cory
Festival Artist
See More
Giselle Cory focuses on life writing, in particular how the small acts of life add up to our identity or come into conflict with it. They particularly enjoy work that tries to understand social history through the lens of personal experience. Recent favourite authors include Claire Keegan, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Maggie Nelson and Guadaulpe Nettel. Giselle splits her time between writing and a career in the charity sector, most recently leading a small charity.
Naomi Walsh
Festival Artist
See More
Naomi Walsh is a writer and creative based in SE London. Born and raised in Barnsley (South Yorkshire) to parents hailing from Sierra Leone and Liverpool, she likes to explore identity, mixing, sonder, and (be)longing in her work. After reading English at the University of Leeds, she spent 7 years working full time as a PR manager in London, earning a PR Week 30 Under 30 award, before going freelance in 2024 to pursue her writing.
Joelle Taylor
Festival Artist
See More
Joelle Taylor is a queer, working class author of six plays and four collections of poetry, most recently C+nto and Othered Poems, winner of the TS Eliot Prize and Polari Prize for LGBTQ+ literature. Her debut novel, The Night Alphabet, was published by Riverrun in 2024. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Arts, Taylor is the host and co-curator of Out-Spoken, the UK’s premier poetry and music club, currently resident at the Southbank Centre. She has featured regularly on BBC radio and television, and as a performer has toured the UK with Neil Bartlett’s stage adaptation of Derek Jarman’s Blue.
Photo credit - Roman Manfredi
Olumide Popoola
Festival Artist
See More
Olumide Popoola is a Nigerian German writer. Her publications include a novella, short stories, poems, essays, creative nonfiction, a play, and the critically acclaimed novel When We Speak of Nothing. She holds a PhD in creative writing and has lectured in creative writing at various universities. She is the creator and leader of ‘The Future is Back’, a development scheme for emerging LGBTQ+ writers. She is currently touring her latest novel Like Water Like Sea, which was published in May 2024.
Photo credit - credit Josimar Senior
Cockayne
Funder
See More
These commissions are supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation.
The London Community Foundation
Funder
See More
These commissions are supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation.