In the heart of Deptford and Lewisham, The Deptford Literature Festival annually celebrates creativity through words, stories and performance. Taking place from Thursday 27th – Sunday 30th March 2025, the programme features celebrated authors including Caleb Azumah Nelson, Emma Warren, Nathan Bryon and many more talented artists in their written and spoken fields. This year, 71 local writers, artists and performers will be taking to the stage, hosting and partaking in discussions and panels and sharing their creative talents with the public through their art.
Lewisham is an area that is rich in creative activities and expression. It is a base for some of London’s best new writers, famous authors and organisations working on creating inspiring stories and poetry. There has been a demand and great interest to cultivate literature in the local area, which is exemplified through the Lewisham, Borough of Literature campaign. It is important for everyone to have a say in what literature means to them and therefore this campaign (launched at the 2024 Deptford Literature Festival) allows festival attendees to define what the Borough of Literature should be. Four local Lewisham writers have been commissioned to create new work in this project titled, ‘To All The Places I Have Read’, and will read extracts from their pieces at a special Borough of Literature event. This aims to hone in on the personal and environmental aspect of literature, showing how the places around us influence our experiences and expression of words and stories.
Access and inclusion are central to the ethos of the festival, which is something that is carried through across the variety of events on offer. All of the events over the festival weekend will offer BSL interpretation and all online festival events will be captioned. It will also be possible to view many of the headline events after the festival, allowing a wider audience engagement and for people to participate from wherever they are. This is great for creating an even larger community feel by not limiting the content to in person attendance. However, it is also worth noting that 45 out of the 48 events are free, promoting an affordable way of connecting to a literary community. This focus on accessibility is fundamental to allowing as many people as possible to access, engage and enjoy the events and experiences on offer.
There is a great feeling of excitement and anticipation leading up to this year’s Deptford Literary Festival, as Spread the Word Director Ruth Harrison echoes: “We’re thrilled to be announcing the 2025 Deptford Literature Festival programme which continues Spread the Word’s commitment to furthering equity and inclusion in literature in our 30th Anniversary year.” Tom McAndrew, producer, also highlights the value of the upcoming festival, particularly in the context of literature surrounding us and being a part of everyday life whilst also bringing a sense of community together: “Deptford Literature Festival is all about celebrating the fact that literature takes place all around us, and touches the lives of so many people and communities. I’m thrilled that this year’s festival is involving so many local authors alongside local community groups such as the Vietnamese Family Partnership, Heart n Soul, and Meet Me At the Albany.”
Booking an event for The Deptford Literary Festival is simple and accessible through the Eventbrite app or website. They will primarily be taking place in person at The Albany and the Deptford Lounge, however recordings to most headline events will be available online as well as a plethora of online resources to enjoy the festival feeling from the comfort of your home.
To see the complete list of events taking place at The Deptford Literary Festival and book, visit Deptford Literature Festival 2025 | Eventbrite
Anna Crosland
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