What’s On At The London Literature Festival 2024?
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1 month ago
All the details…
Autumn is literature season in the UK, and there are plenty of celebratory festivals to enjoy. Here in the capital, however, the London Literature Festival is the biggest, hosted by the Southbank Centre and attracting some of the industry’s brightest stars each and every year. So what’s on in 2024? We’ve got the details.
London Literature Festival 2024: Line-Up, Dates, Tickets & More
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What Is London Literature Festival?
London Literature Festival is an annual celebration of the spoken and written word, and its power to bring audiences together and illuminate the issues we face in the modern world. Hosted by the Southbank Centre, the festival is about big names as much as it’s about fresh talent, and this annual festival provides a democratic and expressive platform for the very best emerging talent.
As always, a special hand is playing a role in the curation of the London Literature Festival, and this year it’s British rapper Ghetts. Born and raised in London, Ghetts has co-curated the Festival’s opening weekend, showcasing the vibrant relationship between the spoken word and music, and lending his sharp and witty lyricism to two nights of must and poetry at the Southbank Centre. ‘It’s an honour to co-curate the opening weekend of the Festival and to explore the links between poetry and music with a night of the best in London’s creative communities,’ Ghetts shares. ‘As a writer and lyricist, literature sits at the heart of what I do, so I’m excited to bring together lovers of spoken and written word to celebrate the incredible power of contemporary literature at the Southbank Centre.’
‘I’m thrilled that award-winning rapper and songwriter Ghetts will be headlining the London Literature Festival this year with a series of specially curated events drawing us into his distinctive artistic sensibility and delving into the deep connections between the city’s music and spoken word scenes,’ adds Ted Hodgkinson, head of literature and spoken word at the Southbank Centre. ‘From spotlighting the cultural communities on our doorstep, to an incredible array of world renowned voices, the festival celebrates the power of poetry, plurality and dialogue to spark new thinking. In these turbulent times, the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival provides an evermore vital space for democratic discussion and we’re proud to offer a fantastic programme to inspire and nourish the next generation of creators and storytellers.’
What’s On In 2024?
The London Literature Festival is famous for balancing established creators with emerging voices, and the 2024 edition will be no different. As well as co-curating, rapper Ghetts will perform at the Royal Festival Hall on 25 October, and present ‘An Evening of Poetry and Music’ the following evening.
Earlier in the week, the festival will commence with a night of Debut London Literature (23 October), with Barry Pierce chairing a panel of emerging writers including Kaliane Bradley, Hannah Regel, Tom Lamont and Varaidzo. Meanwhile Somali writers Yasmin Mohamed Kahin and Asha Lul Mohamud Yufu will premier the first English translation of their breakthrough collections on 25 October.
As for established writers, Rupert Everett, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Robert Mcfarlane and Jordan Stephens are all on the bill, as well as poets Danez Smith and Joelle Taylor. Poetry forms a large portion of the festival, with 70th birthday celebrations for the National Poetry Library, sessions with the New Poets Collective and the annual Poetry Day all on the line-up. Elsewhere, families can enjoy plenty of rhyming, readings and interactive installations over the course of the festival.
See the full line-up of events here.
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When Is The London Literature Festival 2024?
This year, the London Literature Festival runs from Wednesdays 23 October to Sunday 3 November.
Where Is It?
London Literature Festival is hosted by and at the Southbank Centre in central London (Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX).
How To Get Tickets
Plenty of events are free to visit, but most talks are ticketed with prices starting around £15. See the full events lineup and book your tickets at southbankcentre.co.uk
