Award-winning poet Andrew McMillan talks to Scottish poet and playwright Jackie Kay about community, masculinity and post-industrialisation. His novel Pity is set in Northern England, in a town that was once a hub of the coal industry. Where fathers and grandfathers worked down the mines, their sons now grapple with the shifting times. Meanwhile a grandson works in a call centre, deriving passion from his side hustle in sex work and his weekly drag gigs. Set across three generations of a Yorkshire mining family, McMillan’s short and magnificent debut is a lament for a lost way of life as well as a celebration of resilience and the possibility for change.
An evening workshop for parents/carers/guardians/teachers/interested grown-ups* with It Happens Education (ithappens.education) and Schools Consent Project (schoolsconsentproject.com) discussing Relationships, Sex & Health Education (RSHE). In a world full of headlines about violence against women and girls, misogynistic influencers, explicit content online and harmful sexual behaviours… How can we support adolescents as they grow up in a world with new, complex conversations about consent, law and intimacy? What do we want for our young people? What do young people say they want? We promise top tips, conversation-starters and lots of engaging discussions and activities.
Come and hear the writers share and discuss some of their recent work. The Hay Writers’ Circle is a dynamic group, active in Hay for more than 40 years. It offers three competitions annually for poetry, fiction and non-fiction, each of which is open to both members and non-members. There is an active work in progress group for those working on longer projects. The Circle has an ongoing, productive relationship with a local primary school.
Legendary Welsh superstar Bonnie Tyler recounts how she carved out an extraordinary career that is still going strong. From her early days growing up in a tiny mining village in South Wales to her career as a club singer, which led to her accidental discovery by a talent scout, she charts her incredible rise to fame. Her memoir Straight from the Heart tells the story of how a shy, music-loving teenager called Gaynor Hopkins came to record some of the most iconic songs of all time, including ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ and ‘Holding Out for a Hero’, achieving chart success all over the world. Tyler has always determinedly followed her own path, breaking down barriers and leading the way for other female artists. Her roots remain firmly in her beloved Wales, and she’s bringing her down-to-earth, candid outlook to Hay Festival.
Helen Garner’s first novel, Monkey Grip, was published in 1977 and immediately established her as an original voice on the Australian literary scene – it’s now considered a classic. Garner is widely recognised as one of Australia’s greatest living writers and has received the inaugural Melbourne Prize for Literature, the prestigious Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Non-fiction and the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature.
Up to now her books have rarely been published this side of the Atlantic, but that’s about to change. Join Garner at Hay Festival on a rare trip to the UK to celebrate the launch of her novels Monkey Grip, a seminal novel of Australian counterculture, and The Children’s Bach, a sparkling family novel set against the bohemian underground of 1980s Melbourne, as well as her non-fiction work This House of Grief, an engrossing true-crime story.
Literary Death Match is a groundbreaking take on the written and spoken word — it’s an electrifying, feel-good spectacle that takes place in over 70 cities around the planet. Part literary event, part comedy show, part game show, it brings together four established and emerging writers at Hay Festival to compete in an edge-of-your-seat read-off critiqued by celebrity judges and concluded by a slapstick showdown. Judges Jay Blades (The Repair Shop) and Viv Groskop (How to Own the Room) preside over this hilarious, off-the-wall competition of literary merit. Presented by veteran host Suzanne Azzopardi and newcomer Hattie Williams.
Australia is now facing the truth of its past – the slaughter of Indigenous peoples as the British conquered the continent with unique brutality. Two truth-tellers of today discuss how the country is reckoning with its history. Larissa Behrendt is an award-winning author, a filmmaker and host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio. Journalist David Marr is author of Killing for Country, a personal reckoning with his family’s role in the slaughter.
Nitin Sawhney brings to Hay Festival his most recent album, Identity, packed full of collaborations with his favourite artists. Sawhney says: “I’m working and collaborating with artists who are proud of who they are and whose work is defined by that pride. This album is a sonic collage of music, strong voices and self-validation. The album is a love letter to who we all are.” Expect an eclectic set influenced by Indian and Spanish styles, along with blues, soul, funk, electronica and pop.
The Ivor Novello Lifetime Award-winning writer, composer and producer is one of the most distinctive and versatile musical voices around. He has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney and Sting and scored numerous films and television series. He’s established as a world-class producer, songwriter, touring artist, BBC Radio and club DJ, multi-instrumentalist, composer and cultural/political commentator.
David Baddiel discusses his new book, based on his long-running stand-up show My Family (Not the Sitcom). Like the show, the book covers the death of his mother and his turbulent relationship with his father, who suffered from an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s and died in 2022. Much of the stand-up covered his mother’s affair with a golfing memorabilia salesman – which Baddiel describes as “stuff that people don’t normally talk about with a recently departed parent”, but explained was a substantial part of her identity, “her way of saying she was not just a prim, suburban, Jewish housewife”. And the show portrayed his father as a difficult man who would aggressively criticise his sons, a trait amplified by his Pick’s disease.
Humans are capable of both love and hate, amazement and disgust, fun and misery. So why do we live in a world that constantly urges us to hate ourselves and others, to be repulsed by our own bodies, to be ashamed of pleasure, to be embarrassed by fun? In her new collection, the author and poet asks why we have been taught to hate, and if we might learn to love again. She won the Ted Hughes Award for Nobody Told Me, wrote the three poetry collections Plum, Cherry Pie and Papers, adapted the Greek tragedy Antigone and co-wrote the play Offside with poet Sabrina Mahfouz.
Danish comedian, author and podcaster Sofie Hagen is coming to Hay Festival with their new book Will I Ever Have Sex Again?. This is a candid, hilarious and disarming attempt to explore our sexual landscape, through conversations with experts, therapists, sex workers, porn stars, comedians and public figures. Why are we not having the sex we want to have? Where is the sexual liberation we were promised? With part memoir, part exploration, Sofie attempts to figure out why they haven't had sex in over 3,000 days – and why this frustration is so relatable to so many people.
Start your day with an hour of yoga blending movement, mantra, meditation and breathwork. The classes support detoxification and regeneration – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our daily yoga classes are brought to you by a collective of ten highly skilled practitioners, all local to Hay-on-Wye. Each practitioner has their own style, but with all you can expect a mindful, student-focused practice with clear cueing and functional sequencing.
Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, these classes are open and accessible to all. Practitioners will adapt to different levels of experience, providing options for deepening or softening within poses so that each student takes what they need from the practice. Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Yoga mats are provided.
Please contact Clare Fry at hello@larchwoodstudio.com with any questions relating to these classes. As capacity is limited, we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
A fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes of this unique and historic building. Visit at a time of your choice during Castle opening hours.
Hay Castle’s executive director Tom True introduces the key moments and characters from the castle’s past followed by a continental breakfast.
Helen and John Price and the next generation, Rhiannon and Humphrey Wells, open the gates to their farm for a visit led by agronomist Jonathon Harrington and vet Barney Sampson. This traditional family farm is adapting to meet the challenges of a new era to build a sustainable future for food production. Learn about the choices they face relating to soil and the environment, livestock and climate change, and their plans to be carbon negative within the next three to five years. See cattle and sheep and the crops that are grown to feed them, and taste beef from the farm served in bread rolls at the end of the visit.
With thanks to Helen & John Price and Rhiannon & Humphrey Wells for welcoming us to their farm.
Start your day at Hay Festival with our daily news review. Join our leading journalists and special guests as they take us behind the headlines with insider perspectives, insights and an eye on what’s next. Strong coffee recommended!
Among today’s guests are neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow, author of Joined-up Thinking, Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford and author of Shattered Nation and AC Grayling, philosopher and Master of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London.
How can we live the lives we want without despoiling the environment we hold so dear? How do we balance the competing demands of public access, farming and wildlife against the backdrop of the climate and nature crises?
Tayshan Hayden-Smith, former professional footballer turned guerrilla gardener, Kate Humble, farmer and TV presenter, Megan McCubbin, conservationist and wildlife presenter on BBC2’s Springwatch, and Paul Whitehouse, actor, writer and comedian, talk to the Chair of the National Trust, René Olivieri, about how we rediscover the power of connection with nature.
The 18th century is drawing to a close, unrest grips France and Sister Perpetue is guarding the patient known as the Glutton of Lyon. He has supposedly eaten all manner of creatures and objects, including a child. The now-frail man, whose real name is Tarare, was cast out and left for dead, igniting his ferocious appetite. His extraordinary abilities to eat made him a marvel throughout the land. AK Blakemore discusses her new novel The Glutton, which takes us to a world of tumult and depravity, wherein the hunger of one peasant is matched only by the insatiable demands of the people of France. Blakemore is author of The Manningtree Witches. Her writing has appeared in the London Review of Books and Poetry Review.
Guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park lead a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye. Local experts give their insights into this treasured landscape.
Hay-on-Wye is based within 520 square miles of beautiful landscape that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work and its treasured landscape.
Accompanying podcasts for big television series’ have become popular for those that want to delve deeper into their favourite shows. Here, the team behind The Traitors Uncloaked deliver a masterclass continuing the storytelling with podcasts.
Share dreams about possible impossibilities with Joseph Coelho, award-winning poet and author, in his final festival appearance as UK Waterstones Children’s Laureate. Joseph talks about how he has travelled all over the country (and beyond!) as the Children’s Laureate to inspire everyone in becoming poets and storytellers. Joseph’s poetry creates all sorts of other worlds, with wild ideas and unforgettable images. He shares tips for writing your own stories and performs some of his own humorous and inventive poems.
Please bring your own notebook and pen or pencil to this event.
Join “everyone’s favourite pantomime dame” (Metro), Mama G, on a magical panto adventure, as she tries to discover why inclusive stories are so important. All she needs is your help, and some of the best picture books on the market. Get ready for a morning of singing, dancing and laughing that the whole family will love. Oh yes, they will!
Get your Hay day off to a brilliant start with our daily Ready, Steady, Music workshops! With different activities each day, these interactive, fun-filled sessions for mini musicians will have you tapping sticks, roaring like dinosaurs, flying with unicorns, dancing with scarves, playing with parachutes and much more. Come and meet our puppets, explore our instruments and be accompanied by the beautiful sound of the cello.
Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.
An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.
Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.
Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.
A fun drop-in session for families, inspired by the history of Hay Castle. Design and make your own shield.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Activities are aimed at children aged 4+ years, but younger siblings are very welcome.
Paul Whitehouse, comedian and co-star of the BBC’s Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, and John Bailey, fishing consultant on the show since it first aired, have been devout fishermen for longer than they care to remember. A hobby, pastime or sport (call it what you want), they have felt the pull of the water ever since they were kids and have never missed the chance to set up on the bank and try their luck. The two fishermen discuss the rich tapestry that is fishing – from mentors to memories; from philosophy to modern jargon; from watercraft to becoming self-styled ‘Fishing Detectives’. They share brilliant stories and recollections from fishing trips past, rich in the wonders of the riverbank.
Cat Bohannon answers questions scientists should have been addressing for decades. With boundless curiosity, she examines the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex. Eve, her first book, is not only a sweeping revision of human history, it’s an urgent and necessary corrective for a world that has focused primarily on the male body for far too long. Bohannon’s findings will completely change what you think you know about evolution and why Homo sapiens have become such a successful and dominant species. She talks to scientist, writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford.
Our panel discusses Wales’ global responsibility to tackle climate change, the effects of climate change on Wales’ population and what Wales can do to reach net zero by 2035. The panellists are all drawn from a group commissioned by Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru. They share their evidence gathering processes, findings and draft pathways – probing questions will be welcome, as well as your opinions on the developed pathways.
Bunting is Professor of Civil Engineering, Morrow is Professor of Environmental Law and Rudd is Senior Lecturer in Business Innovation and Engagement, all at Swansea University. Powell is a Sustainable Development Programme Manager for Public Health Wales. Townsend is Secretary for the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group.
Graham Webb helps run 4Wood TV & Film Constructions who build sets for some of the best-known TV shows. Graham shares the details of how set building, including constructing the new Tardis for Doctor Who, helps tell stories.
There’s a place where all the strangest stories began… Prepare to be swept away to a land beyond your wildest imagination by master storyteller Katherine Rundell (The Explorer) as she unveils her epic new fantasy series Impossible Creatures.
Follow Christopher, Mal and a baby griffin on their urgent quest across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, a secret place in our world where all the creatures of myth still live and thrive. Discover dragons small enough to perch on your thumb, winged horses, gold-horned hares that salute the brave, and chaotic green talking squirrels. Imagine pitting your wits against sphinxes, swooping out over the sea in a flying coat – and uncover the secret at the heart of the islands that threatens the creatures’ survival, and the world itself.