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You’ll already know about Tottenham’s home-grown musical talent. The likes of Adele, Skepta, Wretch 32 and Chip all hail from N15, and its DIY clubs are pumping new energy into the city’s nightlife. Now, the area’s literary heritage is finally entering the spotlight at the first Tottenham Literature Festival.
Over five days at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, the festival will be focusing on writing by and about Tottenham locals, putting a strong emphasis on work by black writers and championing the area’s up-and-coming literary stars. Poet Lemn Sissay will open the festival with a rare performance of his one-man play ‘Something Dark’, which tells the story of his upbringing in foster care and his search for identity.
Emma Dabiri, author of ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’, will talk about the history of black women’s hair at the event Fros, Rows & Prose, while poets Caleb Femi and Yomi Sode will address the experiences of black boys and men in London at Poetry of the Mandem. Candice Carty-Williams, author of the best-selling novel ‘Queenie’, will join a panel of black female writers to discuss the joys and challenges of writing about race, gender and class. There’ll be writing workshops, gigs, film screenings and a pop-up book market in the mix too. We love you Tottenham, we do...
The Tottenham Literature Festival will take place at The Bernie Grant Arts Centre. Tube: Seven Sisters. Fri Nov 1-Nov 9. Prices vary.
Self-confessed book worm? Read our guide to literary London.
New to Tottenham? Read our guide to N15.