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Catford Literary Festival

Jamakespeare by Brenda Garrick @ Abbotshall Healthy Lifestyle Centre

Venue: Abbotshall Healthy Lifestyle Centre

Is a charity organisation that works to bring opportunities and provide a safe space for the people of their community.


On the back streets of residential Catford, this community hub must be a great resource for the local community. They have a large green space which today is filled with football matches, training, family and friends.


They also have their own garden where they grow vegetables.


The centre itself is a reasonable size. With function rooms, facilities, AND they have a coffee shop with WiFi. Which encouraged me to arrive early.


Unfortunately it is not the place to enjoy a coffee. At least not today. Today it is loud. Music and coffee machines combined with adults and children competing to be heard. It creates a very hostile environment for an autistic person like myself. I can’t imagine neurotypical people would enjoy this much either. But they might be able to sit through it. I can not.


Meaning I waited outside for an hour in the cold for the event to begin. Despite the many children’s activities going on in their outdoor space it is far quieter than the cafe space inside.


I am feeling almost as bitter as the coffee I’m too embarrassed to pour away. But I am still hoping the event I am here for will have been worth the one hour wait outside by the gate.


The event space

Is a nice sized room just off the painfully loud cafe area. That can be heard every time someone makes an entrance, as they realise the can leave their competing decibels at the door.


I am surprised to find the music in here is at a far more reasonable volume. So much so that sitting at the front left of the space by a speaker is completely doable. I will be able to see and hear!


Chairs line the width of the majority of the space. At the very front there is a wide table set up with some microphone. A chair and freestanding microphone sit in front.


This is where Brenda Garrick will speak from. 

Jamakespeare by Brenda Garrick

This event, part of the first ever Catford Literary Festival, was over all; wonderful. Hearing Brenda Garrick read from her first book, Jamakespeare, and learning a bit more about the ideas and steps in her life that lead to its creation was fantastic.

The book its self is made up of a series of soliloquies and monologues based upon those written by its 16th century namesake. They are written in the voice of a Jamaican person. Combining English and Jamaican Patois into a lexical art form that can appeal to the staunchest Shakespeare fan, as well as those less keen on the Bard’s ancient dialect. Garrick has made the works of Shakespeare accessible to a whole new audience.


“Is this a dagger I see before me?” becomes “Is this a patty I see before me?” Hearing Garrick read her own iconic work was such a joy. I didn’t want her to stop.


After her reading and Q&A I promptly purchased her book from Rye Book’s pop up just outside. And got it signed!

I really hope to see her at more events and can not wait to see what she comes up with next!


Jamakespeare is widely available to purchase. Please consider purchasing from your local independent book store. They can order it in. 


Catford Literary Festival; The Future.

By the end of this event I was left wishing I had booked tickets for more of the sessions! However the thought of having to spend anymore time in the cafe space or standing on the street outside made me very happy to head home.

I really do hope the festival and more events like it pop up. However I hope they will take place in a better suited venue. 

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