Introduce yourself… I’m Jon Privett. I’ve lived on boats for 25 years, I’m from Yorkshire. I’m one of the three co-founders who work on Word on the Water, myself, my friends, Paddy and Stefan. I’ve lived on a boat for 25 years now.
How did Word on the Water come about?
I was running a market store called Word on the Street selling used books and living on a boat. And then I made friends with Paddy, we got talking and discovered they’re both really into literature and one day we came home to the boats and the canal was busier than the market had been. So we thought why don’t we do the market stall on the canal, it evolved from that idea and we converted this beautiful old narrow boat into a bookshop. Three of us running the shop together.
What is the boat called?
Diante.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
I really like curating the shop, choosing what books are going to be in the shop. Looking at the newly published texts, remembering the classics and trying to sell the greatest books I can find.
What are you reading right now?
I read every day. Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, it’s this year’s Sally Rooney - or the publishers hope it will be.
What books stood out to you as a child?
Watership Down, that’s a really moving book. Anything by Ursula K. Le Guin, she wrote some speculative fiction about wizards and castles and knives. It’s kind of a pre-Harry Potter, but now people have kind of discovered the socialist message.
If you had any skill, what would you like to learn?
I’d love to learn jazz guitar. I try and play guitar but I’m not very good. We have live music performances on the water here. Anyone can play, we have a Facebook page.
How have people responded to your work?
Somebody once said this is the most fun, radical bookshop they’ve ever been to!
Where’s your favourite place to go?
I really like the Gardens Road area, Springfield Park and Hackney Marshes.
London secret?
The vegan chocolate cake at the British Library, which by the way has the best air conditioning in London.
If you could live anywhere other than London, where would you go?
It’s a second choice, because London’s first choice, I’d say Manhattan. I’ve been to New York a few times, like London is built on culture, there’s always something to do and you’re in the centre of where the action is. There’s always a show to see, a gallery or big performance.
Who would you most like to trade places with?
My daughter because then I’d have had me as a dad. That was a good answer, wasn’t it?!
Who is your local hero?
James the cleaner! In the 60s and 70s he was a reggae performer and then he had some kind of accident playing. I see him at four o’clock in the morning sweeping King’s Cross. He was made redundant but still came down out of his own will to clean, then there was a petition to bring him back. He’s always smiling, friendly and makes a difference!
