From Vanity Fair · Daniela Tijerina · · 1m 40s
Dua Lipa's Book Club Revolution
Dua Lipa curates a global book club to combat literacy crises and AI misinformation.
In brief
Dua Lipa curates a global book club to combat literacy crises and AI misinformation. Dua Lipa runs Service95, a book club platform with 1 million followers that champions marginalized voices and addresses global censorship through literature. Originally reported by Vanity Fair.
Dua Lipa's Reading Habit
Dua Lipa has read 22 books this year, including Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams.
“Do you know about it? She’s getting censored because she started working at Facebook very early on and she dishes it all out.”
Traveling Book Reader
Lipa reads in cars while traveling, avoiding e-readers to enjoy physical books.
“I can read in cars. I don’t get sick. It’s kind of a flex.”
Service95 Launch
Lipa launched Service95 in 2023, a book club with 1 million Instagram followers.
“In 2023, when Lipa launched her book club, which has racked up nearly 1 million Instagram followers”
Literary Circle
Lipa gathers seven authors for a class photo at Albertine Books in New York.
“Standing together in one room, beneath a mural of a constellation, the stars align: Douglas Stuart, Brit Bennett, Patti Smith, Roxane Gay, Jennifer Clement, Patrick Radden Keefe, Min Jin Lee, and Lipa, all looking like the English department of your wildest dreams.”
Book Club Impact
Service95 hosts discussions on global issues like AI, censorship, and women's rights.
“I don’t shy away from it. I also like the fact that I do it on my own terms.”
Author Perspectives
Authors praise Lipa for championing literature and marginalized voices.
“It’s amazing that she does this out of a genuine love for reading.”
Reading as Identity
Lipa credits her mother for her love of reading, which shaped her as an artist.
“I basically would just sit there and read for hours and hours and hours.”
Book Recommendations
Lipa recommends The Girls by Emma Cline as a gateway book for readers.
“I love The Girls by Emma Cline. I think that’s a cool gateway drug book.”
AI and Literacy
Lipa links reading to combating ai misinformation and digital fatigue.
“Not only are we declining in reading and not picking up a book, but the fact that you can have these cheat codes that completely bypass the whole point of the learning or the ingesting of information.”
Global Book Bans
Service95 addresses global book bans and censorship through literature.
“I feel like we get a better understanding of ourselves, of our friends, of our family members, of the people around us, what they might be going through, what’s happening in their life by just picking up a book.”
Literary Advocacy
Lipa advocates for marginalized voices and global issues through Service95.
“She credits her mother, Anesa, for her love of reading, reminiscing on their weekends spent at a London bookshop.”
Book Club Philosophy
Service95 focuses on intellectual curiosity over trends to highlight marginalized voices.
“When she looks at her readers, she doesn’t think what would be easiest for you to enjoy, or what would comfort you or challenge you the least.”
Book Club Goals
Service95 aims to educate readers on global issues and encourage open dialogue.
“The whole goal was to get people to take a breather, learn about the thing that’s happening, and not to be afraid to ask questions or not be right all the time.”
Reading as Connection
Lipa links reading to human connection and resisting ai's limitations.
“He said the heart has so many rooms, so many things that make us, and ai can’t do that.”
Book Club Future
Service95 continues to grow as a platform for literary advocacy and global issues.
“There is something really encouraging about that, that some things can't be replicated. Our real humanness and the love we feel, the loneliness even, it can make us feel even more alive and more human.”
The essence
Dua Lipa runs Service95, a book club platform with 1 million followers that champions marginalized voices and addresses global censorship through literature.
