Wendy White is one of Hay's Writers at Work. She tells us why you write to become a better writer.

Writers at Work is a long-term professional development scheme that nurtures Welsh writing talent in both languages. Aspiring authors get unique access to the established writers and industry leaders who gather in Hay for the Festival, learning from them and being inspired by everything they see. 

 

Kate Farquhar-Thomson is Head of Publicity at Oxford University Press. She shares a behind the scenes look of life at Hay Festival. 

Trees are one of humanity’s most constant and most varied companions. Jonathan Drori, a trustee of The Woodland Trust and The Eden Project, uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable. 

Emily Vanderploeg is one of Hay's Writers at Work. She tells us what she expected from Hay Festival.

Writers at Work is a long-term professional development scheme that nurtures Welsh writing talent in both languages. Aspiring authors get unique access to the established writers and industry leaders who gather in Hay for the Festival, learning from them and being inspired by everything they see. 

Mark Blayney was a Hay Writer at Work in 2016 and 2017. His fiction Doppelgangers and poetry Loud music makes you drive faster are published by Parthian. Here he enjoys comedy at the Hay Festival. 

Writers at Work is a long-term professional development scheme that nurtures Welsh writing talent in both languages. Aspiring authors get unique access to the established writers and industry leaders who gather in Hay for the Festival, learning from them and being inspired by everything they see.  

Sophie Howe is the future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

She tells us about how literary festivals impact on our well-being and ensuring there's a seat for future generations.   

Writer Matthew Hall’s compelling drama series, Keeping Faith /Un Bore Merchers,  shot in both Welsh and English language versions, has been one of the greatest successes of the year with over five million viewers. 

The Herefordshire local enjoyed some celebrity collisions in the green room and some emotional encounters in his talk. 

Following their sell-out UK tour and smash-hit Hay gigs last year, the Scummy Mummies visited the Festival with a brand-new comedy show - dressed as giant vaginas.

Scummy Mummy Helen Thorn gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of how they make their shows quite so scummy. Please spare a thought for poor Carl. 

Eloise Williams won the Wales Arts Review Young People’s Book of the Year in 2014 and is one of Hay's Writers at Work. 

Writers at Work is a long-term professional development scheme that nurtures Welsh writing talent in both languages. Aspiring authors get unique access to the established writers and industry leaders who gather in Hay for the Festival, learning from them and being inspired by everything they see. 

Evolutionary biologist Dr Ben Garrod visited Hay Festival to talk about some roarsome (or were they?) dinosaurs.

Ben busted a few prehistoric myths and his clever young dino-mad fans outsmarted their parents in the dino quiz.

Here he shares some fun dinosaur facts and tells us what makes Hay so special. 

Eric Ngalle is a Creative Wales Fellow. At Hay, he discussed his extraordinary life from his last days in the village of Small Soppo in Buea, Cameroon. It explored love and ultimate betrayal, and the theme and practice of witchcraft. 

Here we get a glimpse of the creative imagination and see Eric's changing relationship with the Festival. 

Writer at Work Catrin Kean has had an incredible time, absorbing the wise words shared by writers such as Ian McEwan and Roddy Doyle.

Writers at Work is a long-term professional development scheme that nurtures Welsh writing talent in both languages. Aspiring authors get unique access to the established writers and industry leaders who gather in Hay for the Festival, learning from them and being inspired by everything they see. 

 

 

Author and travel writer Dan Richards shares his favourite things about Hay, including a green room conversation about a terrifying encounter with a bear who liked biscuits.

For Welsh man Dan, Hay is a mecca where a pop-up city crammed with fascinating stories takes over the town every year. As a child he always hoped to come to Hay and now he is living the dream as a published author and journalist.

The Book Trust’s illustrator-in-residence, Nadia Shireen, introduced her new story, Billy the Beast, to Hay's young audiences. She champions the causes of more humour and inclusivity in picture-books. 

Here Nadia talks about live drawing for an exceptionally well-behaved audience that bears no resemblance to a mosh pit (much).

Felipe Restrepo Pombo is the British Council's Writer in Residence. In 2017 he was included in the Bogotá39 list of the best Latin American writers under 40, organized by the Hay Festival. He talks about the challenges of a journalist and specially of reporting conflict in countries such as Mexico and Colombia.  

He's been at the Festival for five days. Here he attends a talk about post-war art and a fiction event on Nicola Barker's (pictured) post-post-apocalyptic novel. 

Auriol Miller, director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs joined a panel of powerful and dynamic women to discuss the frustrations and joys of being female in Welsh public life.  

She talks about making yourself heard.

Equality activist Shazia Awan  joined a panel of powerful and dynamic women to discuss the frustrations and joys of being female in Welsh public life. 

Here she discusses tokenism, brilliance and inspiring the next generation. 

Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, spent a few days at Hay Festival.

He discovered that Hay's fresh air is good for both mind and body and there's a glorious serendipity about who you run into at Hay, creating positive, inspiring and fruitful relationships for the future.