London Literature Festival

Uniting readers of every age to celebrate the written and spoken word, the annual London Literature Festival presents dozens of talks, readings, discussions and conversations with prestigious authors, rising literary stars, leading cultural observers and those making waves in written and spoken word.

Global superstar and the founder of the Service95 Book Club, DUA LIPA, is the curator of this year's festival. As curator, she will curate a series of events across the festival's opening weekend (Sat 24 and Sun 26 Oct), as well as further literary events across the festival with her Service95 Book Club.

Dua Lipa’s curatorship takes place in partnership with her Service95 Book Club, and includes a mix of Dua’s favourite writers – both established and emerging – along with an array of free programming.

Book launches and authors in conversation

Michael Lewis: Blockers
Tue 20 Oct, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall
Michael Lewis’ new book tells the story of the unsung heroes who fought back against US government cuts.

Ta-Nehisi Coates & Tareq Baconi: On Freedom
Wed 21 Oct, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Sit down for a discussion with the authors as they present their latest publications in conversation with journalist Nesrine Malik.

Hernan Diaz: Ply
Wed 21 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room  
Hear from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author about his new futuristic thriller.

Service95 Book Club: Nadia Murad in Conversation
Thu 22 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Listen to a powerful story of survival and reclamation at this talk by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Dua Lipa & Zadie Smith: White Teeth
Sat 24 Oct, 3pm, Royal Festival Hall
In conversation with Dua Lipa, Zadie Smith discusses her extraordinary 2000 debut novel.

Dua Lipa & Patti Smith: Bread of Angels
Sun 25 Oct, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall 
Chart the life of the legendary musician and writer as she discusses her intimate memoir in conversation with Dua Lipa.

VE Schwab: Victorious
Sun 25 Oct, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
The best-selling author discusses the triumphant conclusion to her thrilling Villains series.

Malorie Blackman: Noughts & Crosses at 25
Wed 28 Oct, 8pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Celebrate the legacy of this bestselling YA novel with reflections from the author and special guests.

Michael Douglas: One Helluva Ride
Wed 28 Oct, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall
Michael Douglas finally gives the full and uncensored account of a remarkable life that has spanned an extraordinary eight decades.

Tice Cin: Safe Spaces
Thu 29 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Enter the world of the extraordinary new novel Safe Spaces in a multi-art form event, with a star-studded cast including BODUR, Tice Cin and more, with beats by KMNC, Tice Cin and Ikonika.

Hanif & Carlo Kureishi: Are You With Me Now?
Sun 1 Nov, 8pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Hanif Kureishi discusses his fiercely funny, unflinching account of survival – of creativity, desire and companionship persisting when the body falls apart, in conversation with Emma Barnett.

Lectures, discussions and debates

Orwell’s England: 85 Years Later
Sat 24 Oct, 1pm, Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall
Interrogate what Englishness means today with author Nikesh Shukla and a panel of guests.

Go All In: Gaming and the Power of Story
Sun 25 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Dive into epic stories and the interlinked magic of books and games with industry icons Will Doyle and the team behind the YouTube channel Outside Xbox.

The Funny Business of Serious Literature
Fri 30 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Literary legends offer a joyful refutation of the myth that serious literature must be solemn, with authors Kaliane Bradley, Jarred McGinnis, and Eley Williams, alongside comedian and bookseller Ben Pope.

Service95 Book Club: Fierce Sounds
Fri 30 Oct, 8pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Writers Jacqueline Crooks, Omar Musa, Sufiyaan Salam, and Kae Tempest discuss how they make fiction feel alive, exploring rhythm, form and sound in writing.

Service95 and English PEN: Censorship Live!
Sat 31 Oct, 12pm, Purcell Room
Readings, real-life stories and expert discussion confronting rising threats to written expression hosted by Oliver Bullough, with readings of real messages that writers, journalists and members of the public have received.

Service95 Book Club: Rewriting Male Tenderness
Sat 31 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
A life-affirming conversation with writers about masculinity, vulnerability and the power of care with writer/film-maker Caleb Azumah Nelson, author Tomasz Jedrowski, and other special guests.

Xiaolu Guo: AI-esque
Sun 1 Nov, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Novelist, memoirist and film-maker Xiaolu Guo delivers the 2026 New Statesman/Goldsmiths Prize Lecture, on the creation of fiction in the age of AI.

Poetry

Special Edition: Shanzhai Lyric Runway Reading
Wed 7 Oct, 8pm, National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall
A reading and runway show of poetry inspired by counterfeit T-shirts shakes up language and power.

Kwame Dawes: Afro-Style School & Kinships
Thu 22 Oct, 8pm, National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall
Jamaica’s Poet Laureate celebrates the programmes and collectives tackling literature’s diversity gap. Special guest speakers join for an evening recounting pivotal moments of inventiveness, care and collaboration.

Out-Spoken: October
Fri 23 Oct, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Mark the return of Southbank Centre's regular poetry and music night with poets Alice Oswald and Kwame Dawes, hosted by Joelle Taylor.

Poetry Day!
Sat 24 Oct, 11am, Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
View hidden gems and new acquisitions from the world’s largest public collection of modern poetry. The curated displays include a new artist’s book from Sam Winston – featuring poems by writers such as Raymond Antrobus – and highlights collected by the National Poetry Library librarians so far this year.

A Celebration of British-Somali Poetry
Sat 24 Oct, 12pm, Purcell Room
Explore how diaspora Somali poets rework an ancient tradition with an eye on the concept of ‘home’, with poets Samatar Elmi, Asmaa Jama, Ibrahim Hirsi, Safiya Mohamed, and Zakariye.

Poems on the Underground: 40th Anniversary
Sat 24 Oct, 5pm, Purcell Room
A feast of poetry and music celebrating 40 years of Transport for London’s public poetry programme with writer/co-founder Judith Chernaik, and poets Patience Agbabi, Imtiaz Dharker, and George Szirtes. Music by the Apollo String Quartet and musician Juliet Lewis.

The 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry Ceremony
Sat 24 Oct, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall 
Join for and evening live readings and experience the best poetry published in the UK and Ireland this year, as curated by a judging panel chaired by Sarah Hall, alongside Hannah Lavery, Lisa Kelly, Sean O'Brien, and Rommi Smith.

Dua Lipa & Mustafa: Nour
Sat 24 Oct, 8pm, Royal Festival Hall
Poetry that moves us is central to Mustafa’s collection Nour, and to this in-conversation event with Dua Lipa.

Out-Spoken Masterclass: October
Sun 25 Oct, 1pm, Sunley Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall
Get your ideas flowing at a three-hour workshop giving you the chance to learn from leading poets.

For families

The Children's Bookshow Presents: Katherine Rundell
Wed 21 Oct, 11am, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Be swept away by the fantasy author as she discusses her epic series and what inspires her, discussing the importance of stories and reading for pleasure.

Service95 Book Club: Authors of the Estate
Sat 24 Oct, 2pm, Clore Ballroom
Play, explore and be creative at an afternoon of activities from the team behind Authors of the Estate, artist André Anderson, Abdou Cissé and Nabil Al-Kinani.

The Smeds and the Smoos
Wed 28 Oct - Sun 1 Nov, various times, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Star-crossed aliens, magical music and cosmic laughs in a stellar stage adaptation of a beloved book from Julia Donaldson.

Search for a Story
Thu 29 Oct - Sun 1 Nov, various times, Clore Ballroom
Visit the giant storytelling bed, help the Story-collector with their mission, and celebrate the magic of stories with these drop-in activities.

Cardboard Citizens: The Meaning of Home
Fri 30 Oct, 10.30am, Clore Ballroom
Use art, play and imagination to explore what home means to you and your family at a workshop inspired by Jacqueline Wilson’s The Bed and Breakfast Star.

New writing and awards

Words In, Words Out: A Night in With Koestler Arts
Sat 24 Oct, 4pm, Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall
Hear the voices of writers inside the criminal justice system at an evening of readings and talks.

Debut London Literature
Sun 25 Oct, 6pm, Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall 
Join us for a conversation with four exciting debut novelists whose books explore the capital's diverse communities and experiences.

Service95 Book Club: Translated Fiction Showcase
Wed 28 Oct, 7.45pm, Purcell Room
Cross borders with some of today’s most vital fiction in translation, read by the authors themselves: Nelio Biedermann, Gaël Faye, Intan Paramaditha and Samanta Schweblin.

Creative Future Writers' Award Showcase
Fri 30 Oct, 6pm, Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall
Find your next read at this year’s award showcase of under-represented writers, hosted by Nancy Campbell, Courttia Newland and Kieran Yates.

Wasafiri: New Writing Prize 2026
Sat 31 Oct, 6pm, Weston Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall
Join the magazine of international contemporary writing as they announce their prize winners, with readings by Farah Ahamed, Gaël Le Cornec, and Cara Thompson, and a prize-giving ceremony hosted by judges Ellah Wakatama, Santanu Bhattacharya, Jen Calleja, and Mona Kareem.

The Goldsmiths Prize Shortlist Readings
Sun 1 Nov, 4pm, Purcell Room
Join the six authors shortlisted for this year's prize as they read from and discuss their novels in conversation with Chris Power, with judges Francis Spufford, Kate Briggs, Hari Kunzru, and David Sexton.