SE Storytellers is a spoken word open mic which takes place at the Tavern on the last Monday of every month. The evening is brought to you by local independent bookshop Crofton Books and co-hosted by shop owner Jase Shelley and his pal Doug Cheeseman.

Jase and Doug are joined at the cultural hip, sharing, as they do, a love for literature, existentialism and snooker. This is due in no small part to their shared Essex upbringing. They grew up just a few miles apart, in Hadleigh and South Benfleet respectively, and their biorhythms are therefore locked to the ebb and flow of the Thames Estuary.

It’s no surprise then, that our affable hosts should have gravitated upstream to London. Here in Lewisham they were reunited like lovers colliding as they chase autumnal leaves across Ladywell Fields. Well, you get the gist…

The idea for SE Storytellers crystallised in the minds of our poetic pair in 2024 with the first two nights taking place at the Crofton Books shop in Brockley. There was a decent turn out and a positive response so the event moved to The Ladywell Tavern at the start of 2025.

Whether you’re a DIY poet, aspiring novelist, rapper, bad dad joke teller - or just want to listen to others trying to be… come along, all welcome, no experience required.

Don’t forget Storytellers is brought to you in association with local independent book shop Crofton Books. Please support local shops, venues and creative people!