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Patti Smith leads Dua Lipa’s star‑studded London Literature Festival line‑up
The rock icon and poet will join Dua Lipa for a headline conversation as the singer unveils her full programme for the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary festival.
Patti Smith is set to take centre stage at this year’s London Literature Festival, headlining Dua Lipa’s newly announced programme for the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
The rock icon and poet will join Dua on October 25 at 7.30pm to discuss her intimate memoir Bread of Angels, tracing her childhood, creative awakening, marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith and her return to performing after his death. Together, they’ll explore the healing power of art and the freedom that shaped her life’s work.
Smith’s appearance anchors a packed programme curated by Dua and her Service95 Book Club. The opening weekend also features Dua in conversation with Zadie Smith on October 24 at 3pm, revisiting White Teeth and its legacy, followed by an 8pm discussion with Sudanese‑Canadian poet and musician Mustafa about the poems that shaped them and his collection NOUR.
Announcing the line‑up, Dua said: “Curating the line up for the London Literature Festival with my Service95 Book Club has been a true joy and I’m so proud of the programme we have created. We’ll be joined by icons as well as emerging voices from across the arts the world needs to know. You will recognize some as friends of the book club, and others may be your first introduction, but ultimately, I wanted to create a space that brings together some of the most exciting writers, poets, and thinkers from around the globe. I’m looking forward to being both in‑conversation and taking my seat in the audience at this iconic venue.”
The wider programme includes appearances from Nadia Murad, Hernan Diaz, Malorie Blackman, Kae Tempest and a Translated Fiction Showcase, plus themed events such as Rewriting Male Tenderness and Censorship Live! with English PEN. Emerging writers are spotlighted through Indie Night, Debut London Literature and Creative Future Writers’ Day.
London Literature Festival runs at the Southbank Centre from October 21 to November 1.
