Our monthly 'Meet the Haymaker' series shares stories of the change-makers at the heart of Hay Festival and the impact it has had on their lives. This month, get to know Olesya Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute London, writer, and frequent Festival contributor.
What does Hay Festival Global mean to you?
For me, it’s an opportunity to bring people from around the world to my home country, Ukraine – both in person and virtually – and to introduce them to the creatives working there. Such encounters are vital: they build solidarity, enable creative exchange, and keep human connection alive across borders. In times of war, culture becomes a target of aggression, but it also becomes a form of resistance. Hay Festival Global helps strengthen that resistance.
What’s your favourite Festival memory?
It has to be the glorious chaos of the green room. I remember the first time I found myself there, surrounded by faces I’d only ever seen in newspapers or on television. I felt shy, while everyone else seemed to belong. Then in walked a very famous actor– let’s keep her name a mystery – and she completely took over the space. Suddenly, everyone else was as meek as I was, watching her silently as she put on quite the show. So yes, there’s a parallel festival happening behind the scenes, and who knows which programme is more entertaining.
Have you ever changed your mind on something having been to a Hay Festival event?
Well, I’ve learned it doesn’t always rain in Wales. More seriously, I’m not sure it’s about changing my mind so much as being reminded that literature and culture matter deeply when it comes to national and global security. Reading may not stop the bleeding, but without it, building the foundations of understanding would be near impossible.
Who was the best speaker or performer you saw on a Hay Festival stage?
It would be unfair to single out just one; each speaker I’ve heard has given me something of value. But I will mention one writer. She participated in the Hay Festival Cartagena in Colombia and the Hay Festival/Lviv BookForum in Ukraine, and her latest book was presented this year in Hay-on-Wye. Yet she will never attend again, nor write another book, because a Russian missile cut her life short in 2023. Her name is Victoria Amelina. I am deeply grateful to the Hay Festival team for honouring her memory and ensuring her legacy is known.
What advice do you have for a first-timer at the Festival?
Talk to people: fellow authors, of course, but also fellow readers. Everyone has a story worth giving your time to. And above all, enjoy yourself!
Sum up Hay Festival Global in five words or less…
A place where horizons open.