Launch of Lit Nights (with Yomi Adegoke)

On Tuesday 26 November, the historic Braithwaite Hall set the stage for the launch of Lit Nights – a modern-day take on the traditional Literary Salon.

Hosted by award-winning journalist Isabella Silvers, the evening featured an engaging conversation with international best-selling author (and fellow #CroydonGirl) Yomi Adegoke. Arguably best known for her 2022 hit The List (soon to be adapted for TV) Yomi was the perfect guest to tackle timely topics with a focus on cancel culture.

A LOT was covered during the one hour conversation (including the importance of nuance and context, pros and cons of social media, as well as misogyny, feminism, justice and atonement). Here are a few extracts to give a flavour of the talk:

Things got pretty deep:

But there were plenty of lighter hearted moments too:

The discussion clearly struck a chord, as hands shot up during the Q&A:

As Yomi later shared with the Croydonist (check out the full interview here), being asked about how her South London roots shaped her work, was one of her personal highlights of the evening:

After the Q&A, guests kept the conversation flowing in their own ways:

Some chatted with Yomi at the Waterstones stall while grabbing their own signed copy of her books, including The List, Slay in Your Lane, and Loud Black Girls.
Others sipped cocktails at the Bone Idyll bar, which served up Negronis, Spicy Margaritas, and G&Ts.
Some headed to the dance floor to enjoy a curated playlist of Yomi’s favourite tracks (now available to stream on the East Croydon Cool Spotify account).
And others added their thoughts to the Zeitgeist Wall, answering questions like “Is Cancel Culture accountability or mob justice?” and “Has social media ever changed your opinion on an issue?”

Seeing the written responses and hearing the lively conversations the discussion sparked was the night’s real triumph. In a world of complex societal challenges, it was refreshing to create a space where people could share and explore ideas without fear of judgement.

We’ll let our guests have the final word:

“Amazing night, can’t wait for the next one!”
“Have more of these, especially with writers from across the diaspora.”
“What a gorgeous Tuesday night! More please!”

This event was made possible thanks to the support of the London Borough of Culture Legacy Fund, a microgrant scheme empowering Croydon-based creatives and cultural practitioners.

A huge thank you to Olive Tree Productions for capturing the night on film.

We’re now looking ahead to April 2025 for the next Lit Night and are actively seeking sponsors to help make it happen. If you’re interested in being part of this exciting initiative, we’d love to hear from you.

ZEITGEIST WALL