Credit: Scarlett Carlos Clarke
London Literature Festival is returning for its 18th year (it can now officially and legally have a drink with us), and this time it’s got Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem at the helm for curation duties, Each year, the South Bank is swarmed by avid book fans shuffling in to hear some of the most well-regarded voices in the field speak on their lives, their work, and the world at large. This year’s events take place between October 21 – November 2, 2025, and there’s still time to snap up your spaces.
As well as curating the lineup, Self Esteem will also be performing and presenting a night of music & spoken words on the penultimate evening of the festival (November 1) to close the final Saturday night of the event in style at the Royal Festival Hall. Earlier on the same day, she’ll be in conversation with Dolly Alderton to speak on her debut book A Complicated Woman, the same title as her album that dropped in April this year.
Credit: Taylor Jewell Who else will be appearing at the London Literature Festival 2025?
As well as the inevitably thrilling performance from Self Esteem to look forward to, there is no end of gems appearing on the lineup this year. Early on in the festival is a chance to listen to Frank Cottrell-Boyce speak for the Children’s Literature Bookshow, as well as a celebration of Somali British Poetry taking place later on the same day at the Royal Festival Hall.
Kamala Harris will deliver a talk on October 23, before the following day sees Reece Witherspoon & Harlan Coben grace the stage to reel in crime thriller fans and talk about their collaborative new work, Gone Before Tomorrow. The weekend then sees a string of workshops and Poetry Day! before An Afternoon With Simon Armitage and A Seamus Heaney Celebration on October 25.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Credit: Sarah Deane)
Elsewhere throughout the London Literature Festival, there will be talks from the likes of (-deep breath-) Alexis Wright, Adam Buxton, Sebastian Faulks, Jimi Famurewa, Nick Cave & Matt Smith, Pankaj Mishra & Nesrine Malik, Claire-Louise Bennett, Thea Lenarduzzi & Holly Dawson, Nikita Gill, Ella Risbridger, Isabella Hammad & Mirza Waheed, Olga Ravn, and more.
The final day of proceedings is certain to be a memorable one, with Zadie Smith speaking about her new collection of essays in conversation with Erica Wagner, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai closing the festival speaking about her new memoir in an intimate live conversation.
Zaide Smith (Credit: Ben Bailey-Smith)
Speaking on the festival, Rebecca Lucy Taylor a.k.a Self Esteem, says: “I’m honoured to be curating at this year’s London Literature Festival. I’ve never really believed there to be rigid lines between songwriting, art, poetry and prose. I’ve always longed to be free from genre and labels, not just in my own work, but also in the art I’m drawn to. I want it all because I am greedy, and I’m no longer going to apologise for that. I am so excited to explore this through my involvement with the London Literature Festival, alongside a host of multidisciplinary artists I admire and am inspired by.”
London Literature Festival takes place between October 21 – November 2, 2025. You can view the full list of events and authors appearing at the Southbank Centre’s website.