JOY FRANCIS Hon. FRSL
Editor • Journalist • Writer • DJ
Joy Francis is a respected writer, journalist and champion of literary representation. As Co-founder and Executive Director of the creative agency Words of Colour, her work is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and advancing inclusion and representation across literature, publishing, media and music.
Francis has developed a longstanding connection to Hackney’s literary and heritage landscape, supporting emerging writers working to create platforms for local voices and preserve community stories.
Why Hackney Matters?
Joy Francis’s connection to Hackney spans two decades of work across its libraries, archives, museum and cultural communities. Through Words of Colour, she has supported emerging writers through programmes such as Get Started, which helped develop writers including Patrice Lawrence MBE FRSL, the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate. She has also collaborated with Hackney Museum and Centerprise on literary and heritage projects. Her work on the Mapping the Change Journalism Programme gave local residents the opportunity to document their experiences of East London. The resulting community newspapers are now preserved in Hackney Archives. Her connection with Hackney continues today, as she delivers the 2026 C. L. R. James Legacy Lecture at Hackney Archives as part of the borough’s Black History Month celebrations.
Did You Know?
Beyond her work in literature and publishing, Joy Francis is also a genre-fluid DJ with an unapologetic love for drum and bass. She has a regular DJ slot with G-Shock London and is a finalist in the Museum of London's Sound of London DJ Collective.