Sally Rooney, Matt Haig and Gillian Anderson on line-up for Southbank Centre’s summer season

Sally Rooney, Matt Haig, Richard Ayoade, Gillian Anderson and Hari Kunzru all feature on the line-up for the Southbank Centre’s Summer Literature and Spoken Word Season programme.

This year’s programme features a host of events for the biggest fiction launches, with guests like Matt Haig and Elif Shafak, as well as a range of spoken word events. On 30th May, Kunzru will unveil his new novel, Blue Ruin (Scribner UK), while James Comey will talk about his legal thriller Westport (Aries) on 25th July. On 8th August, Shafak will discuss her new work, There Are Rivers in the Sky (Viking), while Haig will talk about his upcoming novel, The Life Impossible (Canongate), on 30th August.

East and South East Asian literature and culture will be celebrated at the closing night of ESEA Lit Fest on 22nd September, featuring readings and conversations. Rooney will return also to the Southbank Centre on 25th September for an event – which will also be live-streamed free – exploring her latest work, Intermezzo (Faber). Meanwhile, “Sex Education” star Anderson will present Want (Bloomsbury), a volume of anonymous female correspondence about sexual desire, on 1st September, followed by an event with comedian and filmmaker Ayoade at the Royal Festival Hall a month later.

The non-fiction line-up features Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan, discussing his memoir Question 7 (Chatto & Windus) on 5th June. MP Jess Phillips will talk about “the nature of democracy and attitudes towards elections” on 21st September, while on the same day audiences will get the chance to hear Carol Vorderman discuss her journey to becoming a political commentator. The 10th anniversary of investigative journalism podcast “Serial” will also be marked with a London exclusive event, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Sarah Koenig on 3rd Oct, as part of The International Women’s Podcast Festival in partnership with Spotify. 

The National Poetry Library will continue its monthly poetry event series “Special Edition”, highlighting “treasures” of modern poetry. In addition, the European Poetry Festival will deliver a cross-lingual performance during the seventh iteration of the festival, showcasing the voices of contemporary Catalan poets on 19th June, and Norwegian poets on 3rd July – alongside their British counterparts. Poetry’s past and present will be also highlighted in “A Gavin Selerie Celebration” on 17th July, as well as “Out-Spoken” – the Southbank Centre’s resident monthly fusion of poetry and music, hosted by Joelle Taylor.

“From thought-provoking non-fiction to captivating poetry, the season is a testament to literature’s ability to inspire, inform, and spark crucial conversations about our modern world,” said Ted Hodgkinson, head of literature and spoken word at the Southbank Centre. “This is all part of our role and a shared commitment to provide a truly diverse offering for all of our audiences.”

Tickets will go on sale through the Southbank Centre’s Members today, Thursday 4th April, at 10am. The general public will be able to access tickets at the same time from Friday 5th April.