Lewisham often gets a bad rap in the press, portrayed as a run down, crime ridden and generally best to be avoided area. However, having grown up, gone to school and still living in the borough, this reputation feels pretty alien to me. The sense of community, vibrancy and togetherness is something that I love about the area, and going along to the Deptford Literature Festival certainly brought that home for me.
I haven’t always appreciated Lewisham quite in the same way. During my Insta-era (cliched much? Yes!), I’d often look to the trendier, picture worthy, café filled brunch spots of Shoreditch, Islington and Hackney, all pretty much dishing up the same serving of poached eggs with a side of pretentiousness and a price tag to match, wondering why my parents settled on Catford (“where??”) to put down roots, but now, a little older and a little wiser perhaps, I stop and take a look around and recognise just why this place, this borough, is so great.
So much talent exists in Lewisham and yet I had little idea of how much creativity had spawned from its streets until I got myself to my second booked event of the day at the Deptford Lounge, Celebrating Lewisham through the Borough of Literature. I encountered four incredible writers whose works were firmly planted in places I know all too well. From the 208 bus running along Bromley Road; to the familiar sound of the twinkly call of the ice cream van run by a kind and friendly Turkish Cypriot man; the musings of a mother on a park bench trying to snatch a little time to read and the fleeting thoughts and insights waiting in the hospital. Their brilliant writing simply blew me away, and to be honest if this had been the only event I’d encountered at the festival, it would have been more than enough to leave me satisfied.
For me, the standout was Tutku Barbaros, a writer and workshop creator of Turkish Cypriot heritage, born, raised and living in Lewisham. Maybe I’m biased being of Cypriot heritage myself, albeit Greek which would by standard actually mean that we’d be mortal enemies, or at least steer clear of each other or argue over whether it’s Greek coffee or Turkish, but I don’t drink the stuff anyway so really doesn’t matter that much and we’d always referred to it as Cypriot coffee anyway in my household (Kafen Kypreikon if you’re wondering). Tutku’s debut book, All The Women She Knows – Stories Of Growth, Change and Sisterhood was published in February 2025 which I promptly purchased following the Lewisham Writers event. After hearing Tutku’s Sauce, Sprinkles And A Flake Please Boss, a piece commissioned for the Borough of Literature, I simply needed more.
The piece took me on a ride in Tatli’s grandfather’s ice cream van in what felt like a very familiar journey through the diverse streets of Lewisham, with the tiny snapshots of ice cream buyers lives, sights and sounds of the world outside and a scattering of “Did you knows?” from Tatli for her grandfather about their surroundings. I felt myself reminiscing of a childhood in the very places described and experiencing the melting pot of language, culture and food that Lewisham is.
Tutku Barbaros
This is by no means to take away from the other incredible writers at the Lewisham Writers event including Amii Griffith, Erica Hesketh and Fathima Zahra who all have a knack of bringing the borough to life through their journeys and observations in seemingly regular day to day activities. They all truly brought about an awakening in me about just how fortunate I am to be from a place with such rich heritage, and also how important the current Borough of Literature campaign is in highlighting talent, driving funding in word based activity, allowing new and existing writers more opportunity to share their work and reach a wider audience as well as introduce children and young people to the delights of the written word, providing an outlet for their experiences and ideas.
Erica Hesketh
The great thing about events like the Deptford Literature Festival is that is also opens up new corners of London that many have never experienced before. Despite being a Lewisham girl, I rarely ever get to Deptford and the beautiful sunny skies that we were met with on the weekend of the festival, meant that I could explore a little and discover gems I knew nothing about previously, opening up a whole new corner of the borough I hadn’t really ventured to before. So now, armed with some great reads from local writers and full of awe of what’s around me, I’ll be frequenting Deptford regularly and championing local voices to get Lewisham firmly on the map of creativity, and spread the word to make Lewisham the very first Borough of Literature.
Maria Georgiou
The Deptford Literature Festival takes place in March each year. If you want to know more, visit www.spreadtheword.org.uk, the festival’s organisers and find out how you can get involved I making Lewisham the first Borough of Literature here https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/lewisham-borough-of-literature/
You can also read the commissioned pieces, including Tutku Barbaros’ Sauce, Sprinkles And A Flake Please Boss in the Deptford Literature Festival 2025 Anthology by downloading it for free here https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/deptford-literature-festival/#block-1
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