SE London Bookfest is back for 2025, bringing a slew of exciting writers to south London book shops, churches and cinemas.
Running from 18 October to 29 November 2025, the festival features talks from/chats with a host of both fiction and non-fiction writers, some of them, major names. Themes include food, race, poetry and politics. Free tickets are available to all events, although you're encouraged to pay a small fee if you can, part of which is donated to local food banks.
Here's a handful of events on our radar:
🎙️ The Half of It, Morocco Bound (26 Oct): Podcast presenters Emma Slade Edmondson and Nicole Ocran are in conversation with Ela Lee, about their book The Half of It, which delves into what it truly means to be mixed-race.
🍺 Deserter Stories, Chener Books (4 Nov): Incorrigible Deserter duo Vince and Andy are back with a third book — and this time they've forayed into fiction. Hear them discuss Deserter Stories, which contains tales of the surreal and sozzled, as well as some surprisingly touching moments.
👩🏾 A Woman Like Me, Peckhamplex (9 Nov): Diane Abbott discusses her 2023 memoir A Woman Like Me, which charts her remarkable life, from growing up in 1960s London with working-class Jamaican parents, to becoming the first Black woman MP, via a place at Cambridge University.
🍛 Picky, Peckham Levels (29 Nov): Now a London foodie extraordinaire, Jimi Famurewa spent his childhood dodging vegetables and looking forward to his next Happy Meal. He talks about his autobiography, Picky, which spills the beans on how he came to appreciate cuisine from all walks of life.
SE London Bookfest, 18 October to 29 November 2025, various venues, free (donations encouraged)
