Spread the Word presents Mouth Mek Fi Nyam
A series of workshops for over 50s of Caribbean heritage
Register for the workshops online.
Are you aged 50+ and of Caribbean heritage? Do you have stories about food, gardening, migration, or family traditions that you’d love to share?
As part of the Mouth Mek Fi Nyam Windrush Project—itself part of the Lewisham, Borough of Literature Campaign—we’re inviting Caribbean adults to join a series of free creative gardening and poetry workshops exploring how culture, memory, and identity are preserved through cooking and gardening.
Oral history workshop
Come share stories, laughter, and memories with Spread the Word in a warm, welcoming space where you can explore cultural preservation through food and gardening. Who taught you how to cook your favourite Caribbean meals? What recipes hold your family's history? What plants or herbs remind you of home?
Whether it's tales of learning to make callaloo from your grandmother, growing thyme in a London backyard, or gathering around the table for Sunday dinners, your stories matter. Award-winning writers Leone Ross and Joan Anim-Addo will be listening closely, turning your rich memories into short stories that honour the traditions, flavours, and resilience of the Caribbean community.
The oral history workshop is at Catford Library 22 June, from 2–4pm.
Poetry workshop
Have you ever wanted to turn your memories into poems? Join Spread the Word for a series of free poetry workshops where you’ll be guided by award-winning Caribbean poets Courtney Conrad and Keith Jarrett in shaping your personal stories into powerful poems.
Together, you’ll explore how food, family, migration, gardening, and everyday life hold deep meaning and how poetry can help us preserve and celebrate those experiences. You don’t need to be a writer or have any previous experience.
At the end of the workshops, your work will be published in a special anthology.
Workshops run approximately twice a week between 3 July to 5 August at The Albany, Douglas Way, London SE8 4AG. You can attend as many as you'd like.
Places are limited!
Gardening workshop
Join us for a hands-on, community-led gardening workshop celebrating Caribbean heritage through the plants, herbs, and growing practices that connect us to home. Led by the brilliant team at Coco Collective, this workshop invites you to share memories, learn new skills, and reconnect with the land whether you're a seasoned grower or just getting started.
You can attend the workshop on either Wednesday 2 July 2025, 1-3pm or Wednesday 6 August 1-3pm. Both workshops are held at the black gate next to 71 Firhill Road, SE6 3SE.
Access and transport
For those attending multiple sessions there is some transport reimbursement available.
You may attend sessions with a caregiver or relative. Please notify Spread the Word if this is the case.
More information
Find out more about Spread the Word's previous Windrush project Talk Di Tings Dem.
For any further questions please email [email protected].
