Spread the word: Newham Word Festival is back for 2023, with incredible free events across the borough.
26 June - 9 July 2023
A vibrant and diverse celebration of the written and spoken word, Newham Word Festival, funded by Newham Council and Arts Council England, returns for its fifth year with more than 30 extraordinary free events.
The festival will take place in libraries, theatres, arts centres and more across the borough, as well as including online workshops and talks. Join poets, authors, artists, performers and musicians for this inspiring tribute to the power of the word - with creative workshops, quizzes, dancing, t-shirt making, film screenings, soundscapes and lots more.
This year join us for events with award-winning authors including Michael Rosen, Booker-Shortlisted Nadifa Mohamed, best-selling crime writer Vaseem Khan and local food writers and Guardian columnists Joe Woodhouse and Olia Hercules.
Take part in wonderful workshops, including colour therapy and creative craft with colour expert Momtaz Begum-Hossain and writing and performance with Rosetta Arts. Together! 2012 CIC will be hosting an online poetry café, and there will be a signed dance performance with Deaf dancer and choreographer Chris Fonesca and Sign for All.
Families can also take part in events at Discover Children’s Story Centre (with free entry to play too!) And there are inspiring events for schools from an amazing range of authors and illustrators, including Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and Patrice Lawrence and Diane Ewen.
Newham Word Festival is proud to celebrate artists from near and far, those who are at the peak of their careers and those just starting out.
Take a look at the full programme and book your free tickets
Councillor Rohit K. Dasgupta, Deputy Cabinet Member for Equalities, Social Justice and Culture:
"This is a great opportunity for the community to take a deep dive into the fantastic world of books, stories and poetry, and to celebrate our diverse and talented authors, poets and artists. We are proud to bring the Newham Word festival to our residents for the fifth year in a row, and to showcase the transformational power of the spoken and written word."
Rebekah Polding, CEO of Discover Children’s Story Centre:
"Words, books, stories – the things that inspire us and connect us and help us make joyful sense of the world. This is a fantastic programme, as rich and vibrant as Newham itself and all sorts of opportunities to listen to great authors, have fun as a family or try something new. Discover is proud to work with Newham Council to shine a light on literature and create exceptional events for all Newham residents."
