The sitcom “Suburgatory,” novelists such as Richard Yates and endless suburban mom memes are a testament to the hold these outer reaches of cities have on public imagination.
In Britain, the poet John Betjeman coined the term “Metro-Land” to fondly refer to the suburbs on the edge of north London.
Peter deGraft-Johnson is 26 and has lived in various parts of east London for five years. The poet and writer grew up in Essex in southeast England but moved to the capital as a student.
“I was drawn [to London] by the creative culture,” he told CNN. “I wanted to be part of that progressive,…
