Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival 2025
 The 2025 Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival continues with a series of inspirational events to suit all tastes. Whether you enjoy reading, writing, discussions, or simply sitting back and listening. Come and join us and express yourself! You’ll be amazed at the fun you can have in your local library.
 Monday 2 June, 6.30pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
Twenty-one women writers in Afghanistan shared the day-to-day reality of life after the Taliban retook Afghanistan. Hear their story.
 Tuesday 3 June, 7pm
Clapham Library, SW4 7DB
Bookings via Eventbrite
Join award-winning Comedian Mark Steel to discuss his intensely humane, moving and funny memoir. A definite highlight of June's festival programme.
 Tuesday 10 June, 7pm
Carnegie Library. SE24 0DG
Booking via Eventbrite
Join author and critic and novelist Adam Mars-Jones and the Friends of Carnegie Library to discuss Adam’s writing. Event organised by the Friends of Carnegie Library.
 Thursday 12 June, 6.30pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
Join SJ Kim as she draws inspiration from K-dramas and writers across cultures who sustain her.
 Monday 16 June, 7pm
Durning Library. SE11 4HF
Booking via Eventbrite
What makes the French so French and the British so British? Join Suzanne Raine and Muriel Zagha for a lively and engaging discussion inspired by their podcast Garlic & Pearls. Event organised by the Friends of Durning Library. For refreshments a £3 donation is requested.
 Tuesday 17 June, 6.30pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
Join novelists Mel Pennant (A Murder for Miss Hortense) and Lisa Smith (Jamaica Road) as they come together to discuss their lived experiences growing up in the tight-knit Caribbean communities of London in the 1970s and 1980s and how their memories shaped their writing and their books.
 Wednesday 25 June, 6.30pm
South Lambeth Library, SW8 1QP
Booking via Eventbrite
Naomi Clifford explores the life of Chief Inspector Nathaniel Druscovich, the ‘golden boy’ of the Metropolitan Police detective division.
 The festival runs throughout June with more writers, workshops and discussions... check out the brochure for a full listing.
For all bookings please visit Lambeth Libraries Eventbrite page.
Exhibitions
 Showing Tuesday 3 to Friday 27 June
Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ
Exhibition available during Library opening hours
Solari’s photographic series is inspired by the act of travelling through environments, observing, recording and being inspired by the variety of life and landscape around us.
Exhibition Launch and Private View
Thursday 5 June, 6pm
Further information: www.fineart-solari.com
 Showing Wednesday 4 to Saturday 21 June. Durning Library, SE11 4HF.
Exhibition available during Library opening hours.
Henrietta MacPhee brings the vibrant wonders of northern India to the Durning Library. Henrietta will be showing a series of small-scale ceramic works she created whilst on an artist residency at Farm Studio in Rajasthan.
Further information: www.henriettamacphee.com
 Europride protesters wearing pink tutus: Gordon Rainsford Collection
Showing Thursday 5 to Monday 30 June. Lambeth Archives, SW2 1ET
Exhibition available during Archive opening hours
This community-led exhibition celebrates and acknowledges Lambeth's strong and proud connection to London Pride.
This exhibition has been arranged by Clare Truscott for Lambeth Links, the borough’s community-based LGBTQ+ organisation, with contributions from Lambeth locals themselves. With curation from independent creative practitioner Dan de la Motte.
 Images: Celia Martin Perez, Edwina Hannam, Kate Newington and Patricia O'Malley
Showing until July
Clapham Library, SW4 7DB
Exhibition available during Library opening hours
MAG (Monday Art Group) is a group of five South London based, professional and recreational artists.
Further information:
edwinahannam@btinternet.com
celiamartinperez@googlemail.com
 Showing until August.
Carnegie Library, SE24 0DG.
Exhibition available during Library opening hours.
SketchPad is a life drawing class and group of artists that has been going for almost 20 years, holding regular life drawing classes at the Prince Regent Pub in Herne Hill. Here they display their work from life drawing. |
|
Other Library Events and Activities
 Saturday 7 June, 12pm to 4.30pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
Over 2 floors, our popular busy FREE Zine Fairs have the latest in grassroots affordable publishing.
 Tuesday 17 June, 2pm to 5pm
Clapham Library, SW4 7DB
Join Lambeth Libraries in celebrating Refugee Week and find out what services are available for local sanctuary seekers. Activities on the day include service stalls, entertainment and refugee week film shorts screenings.
 Thursday 19 June, 6.15pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
A Brixton Society talk by Nikky Cato, from research and accounts from people who have lived or worked around Railton Road over 70 years.
 Saturday 21 June. Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ
Join us for a vibrant community celebration honouring the Windrush generation with two exciting domino tournaments:
Youth Tournament: 11am at Brixton Library: Pupils from Corpus Christi Catholic School will be battling it out in a fun and educational showdown of skill and teamwork.
Senior Tournament: 1pm at Windrush Square: Watch seasoned players compete for the championship title in a spirited display of Caribbean tradition. Enjoy Caribbean music, storytelling, community stalls, and cultural activities throughout the day.
Free entry – All welcome! For more info, email: BrixtonImmortals@yahoo.com Tel: 07956 338 419. Come and celebrate community, culture, and legacy – the domino way!
 Thursday 26 June, 6.30pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite
Come and celebrate Lambeth ‘Borough of Sanctuary’ with a series of readings about community by Lambeth writers.
 Last Friday of each month, 10.30am to 12pm. Streatham Library. SW16 1PN
Streatham Library’s 50+ Group meets for board games, cards, puzzles, quizzes and colouring. It’s an opportunity for a friendly chat and to catch up with old friends and make new ones. New members welcome, £1 per meeting for tea/coffee and biscuits.
 Thursdays Fortnightly 10.30am to 11.30am. Online
Join us for a book at breakfast - a place to relax, a chance to make new friends and a new way to share reading.
You don’t have to read anything. You can simply drop in and enjoy having a good story or poem read to you - and chat about whatever you like.
For further info and Online joining links contact Sophia on email: sneizerawuku@lambeth.gov.uk
Events for Children, Young People and Families
 Free in all Lambeth Libraries. Contact your local library for times and details.
Enjoy songs, rhymes and stories with your baby or toddler in a free weekly session at your library. These sessions are great fun for everyone and help develop speech and language skills, encourage social interactions and help prepare children for school. All welcome.
 Thursday 5 June, 2pm
Brixton Library. SW2 1JQ
New parent? Come along to make a zine and do crafts and collaging with your baby. This month we will be finishing off our group zine – come along to make your page or send a submission (deadline 18 May) to Colette. The group zine will be presented at the Lambeth Zine fair in June. For more info and submissions, contact Colette at ctownend2@lambeth.gov.uk.
  Every Monday 10am to 11.15am
West Norwood Library, SE27 9JU
Free music workshops for children under 5 with free refreshments.
For more information contact Tony on tonybhappydrums@gmail.com
 Fridays through to June
West Norwood Library, SE27 9JU
Booking via Website
Join us for these new exiting opportunities for 11 to 15 year-olds. The Dream BiG Performing Arts bring two programmes where young people can express themselves through either music or drama whilst coming together to have fun and develop key personal and social skills. Both projects will integrate to produce a short film around the important subject of Joint Enterprise/Guilty by Association to educate our youth about the law. Through this exciting project, all participants will develop important transferable life skills and a change mindset to positive outlooks with inspirational role models to help open doors!
Dream BiG Music Creation Workshop, Fridays, 5.15pm to 6.30pm
Dream BiG Urban Films Club, Fridays, 6.45pm to 8pm
Please register for one of these exciting projects by completing this registration form. If you have any enquiries, please contact us either by telephone on 0208 676 3480 or email info@bigcic.org
 Streatham Library. Tuesdays, 4pm.
Brixton Library. Wednesdays, 4pm.
West Norwood Library. Wednesdays, 4pm.
Minet Library. Third Monday of each month, 4pm.
Carnegie Library. Last Monday of each month, 4pm.
Calling all book-loving youngsters aged 7 to 11 - come and chatter, get involved in fun and creative activities and choose new books to read. |
