Hay gives us all the chance to open our lungs to fresh air and open our minds to fresh thinking. It’s a joy to see our literary heroes in the flesh - talking to Michael Morpurgo was my highlight - and to discuss the big issues of the day in the sun and rain. The scale of the festival means we can bump into interesting people, and the organised serendipity of those casual meetings can themselves create new ideas.
As anyone who has been knows, Hay is a chance to get away from the day to day, and the very fact of the distance, and the serene faraway location has an impact of how we engage and think. As a speaker this year, I loved the warm, informed and inquisitive audiences, who help any speaker to challenge themselves and their preconceptions.
And of course it’s great fun, and restful too. All in all an injection of joy, which I why I keep coming back.