This Pop Star Is Curating a Literary Festival, Proving That True Icons Contain Multitudes
· Vice
You’re probably familiar with Dua Lipa’s pop music, but did you know she’s also really into literature? She’s into a lot of things, actually, proven by the sheer diversity of her site Service95. Among many things on the platform, Lipa hosts a book club, and she’s been known to host in-depth interviews with indie authors as well as high-profile writers.
This year, however, she’s going a step beyond the book club. Lipa has shared the curated schedule for the 19th annual London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre. The festival runs from October 21 to November 1, 2026, and literature enthusiasts from the area are in for a treat.
Visit umafrika.club for more information.
Dua Lipa is hosting several talks during the festival with an amazing lineup of writers. Zadie Smith will discuss her debut novel White Teeth, while poet-singer-filmmaker Mustafa will chat with Lipa about his poetry publication and literary idols, among other topics.
Dua Lipa Curates 19th Annual London Literature Festival in Partnership With Her Book Club
Dua Lipa announced her position as this year’s festival curator on Instagram, posting a look at the lineup. Per a report from NME, she also shared her hopes for the event. “I wanted to create a space that brings together some of the most exciting writers, poets, and thinkers from around the globe,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being both in conversation and taking my seat in the audience at this iconic venue.”
Big-name authors like Zadie Smith, Mustafa, and Patti Smith will join Lipa in conversation, the latter to discuss her memoir Bread of Angels. Additionally, there’s an event for fiction in translation, featuring Samanta Schweblin, Nelio Biedermann, Gaël Faye, and Intan Paramaditha.
An event exploring rhythm and sound in literature will feature Kae Tempest, Omar Musa, Sufiyaan Salam, and Jacqueline Crooks. Meanwhile, there will also be a discussion with Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Nadia Murad. Further curation includes a discussion titled Rewriting Male Tenderness, and an event titled Censorship Live!, put on by Service95 in partnership with English PEN, hosted by journalist Oliver Bullough.
For readers in the U.K., full information and tickets are available through the Southbank Centre website. And for everyone else, there’s always Dua Lipa’s book club to come home to.
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
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