Hay Festival 2016

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had devastating impacts on people and property but the implications for future world politics, business and society are also massive and potentially game-changing. Is it the end of multilateralism and globalisation? Will global supply chains become regional and national by necessity, making us rethink entire value chains and systems? Is this the end of liberal globalism?

General Sir Nick Carter, who was Chief of the Defence Staff, head of the British Army, until November 2021, and political scientist and economist Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History and Liberalism and its Discontents (who appears via video link) discuss the implications with Emma Graham-Harrison, International Affairs Correspondent for the Observer.

Part memoir, part commentary on masculinity, this isn’t so much for men, as about them. Raven has been trying to distill what it is about men that has kept him intrigued his whole life. Firstly, he loves them. Secondly, he can see how problematic they are. Thirdly, both these things converge in his own sense of self and his own masculinity. His book is about particular dynamics, a cautious reverence of a life lived in parallel with other men, observing masculinity’s odd amorphous boundaries. He doesn’t shy away from difficult truths, but there’s plenty to laugh about. Raven Smith has been 32 for several years and lives in London with his husband and cat. He talks to journalist Nell Frizzell.

Can Welshness be both distinct and inclusive? How might Wales cherish its past without being imprisoned by it? This discussion, featuring some of our foremost Welsh writers: Darren Chetty, Grug Muse, Hannan Issa and Iestyn Tyne, examines the plural experience of Welshness, and offers radical perspectives on the future of Wales.

One man. One mission. Is it possible? No, not really. Milton reveals the truth about being an international spy, before being given a disappointing new identity that forced him to appear on Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo. But this is also a love story with a twist, or even a really bad sprain. Just gloriously daft nonsense – or is there a deeper meaning?

“He’s fast, absurd and very funny” – Radio Times.

The musician and broadcaster is known for her fusion of reggae, jazz and soul. Her album Love Politics War in 2017 went to No.1 in the UK Jazz charts and her debut children’s album received rave reviews. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and Billy Ocean. Her series for CBeebies, YolanDa’s Band Jam, won the Royal Television Society Awards as Best Children’s Programme. She has hosted Last Night of the Proms, Gospel Choir of the Year and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year. On BBC Radio 4, she co-presents Loose Ends with Clive Anderson. She is chair of the music education charity Youth Music.

Trevithel Court is a traditional mixed farm and David James is the third generation of his family to work there, along with his son Will. Their orchards supply apples for Bulmers and other cider producers in Herefordshire and Wales. Walk among the apple trees, pollinated by bees, look inside a beehive, learn about cider production and sample some cider and honey. The farm also produces grass-fed beef cattle and arable crops. See the animals and machinery used for production and harvesting. Agronomist Jonathon Harrington leads the tour.

With thanks to David and Catherine James

The world continues to manifest racism in many forms. To discuss the issue with journalist Julia Wheeler and give their different perspectives on writing about race are: Musa Okwonga, broadcaster, musician and author of One of Them: An Eton College Memoir; Georgina Lawton, journalist and author of Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong; and scientist Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue with a Racist: History, Science, Race and Reality.

Moses McKenzie’s searing debut novel paints a portrait of harsh life on the streets and futures overturned. Sayon Hughes, a young Black man from Easton, Bristol, dreams of a world far removed from the one in which he was raised. Removed from the crooked solutions his community embraces, and from the Christianity of his uncaring parents. Growing up, he found respite from chaos in the loyalty of his brother-in-arms, Cuba; in the example of his cousin Hakim, once an infamous drug-dealer, now a proselytising Muslim; and in the tenderness of his love, Shona. Sayon wants to give the people he loves everything they could wish for, but after an altercation in which a boy is killed, his dream of a better life is in peril. McKenzie talks to writer Nikesh Shukla (The Good Immigrant).

When was the last time you were stung by a wasp? Or followed by a cloud of midges? Or saw a butterfly? All these normal occurrences are becoming rarer. Insect numbers are in serious decline – in some places by over 90%. Yet we rely on insect pollination for most of our agriculture, they are a prime food source for birds and fish, and they are a key support for life on Earth. Oliver Milman, environment reporter for Guardian US, investigates the reasons for their disappearance, with views from scientists and entomologists studying this catastrophe. Celebrating the incredible variety of insects, he highlights the need to wake up to this impending environmental disaster. In conversation with writer and editor Kitty Corrigan.

Guides from Brecon Beacons National Park lead a gentle walk through the beautiful and historic surrounds of Hay-on-Wye.

YolanDa’s Band Jam is the critically acclaimed CBeebies children’s TV show presented by double MOBO award-winning musician and broadcaster YolanDa Brown. Dubbed ‘Jools Holland for kids’, YolanDa’s Band Jam encourages children to discover the joys of music through dancing, singing and playing.

From acclaimed writer and comedian Jenny Eclair comes a hilarious and heartbreaking story about friendship against the odds. When Hermione discovers Helena’s writing under her bedroom wallpaper she is transported back to summer 1975 to discover a truth about Helena’s future that suggests she is in great danger…

What creature is causing such disruption in the great Library of Life? What is happening to our planet? Join Head4Arts with Tamar Eluned Williams in a storytelling and craft experience exploring climate change and biodiversity crisis.

Mae’r gweithdy hwn yn ddwyieithog ac yn croesawu siaradwyr Cymraeg a Saesneg.

This workshop is bilingual and welcomes both English and Welsh speakers.

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 2.5 hour duration. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.

AC Grayling believes three of our biggest global challenges are climate change, the rate of development in high-impact technologies and the deficit of social and economic justice. He asks if human beings can agree on a set of values that will allow us to confront the threats facing the planet, or will we continue with our disagreements as we approach possible extinction? As every day brings new stories about extreme weather, spyware, lethal autonomous weapons and international political-economic, health and human rights imbalances, he argues that we need to find an answer to the question: Is Global Agreement on Global Challenges Possible?

Inclusion is a term frequently used in education, but some teachers are still going into schools with little awareness or confidence when teaching children with differing needs, whether that’s a visible or invisible disability. How can we ensure that teachers have the skills they need to create an inclusive classroom benefitting all students? Our expert panel launches Physical Education for Young People with Disabilities, a new book to help teachers engage in more inclusive practices. Casey Bailey is Birmingham Poet Laureate; Alex Giles is a University of Worcester graduate; Rebecca Foster is co-author and Principal Lecturer and Lerverne Barber is co-author and Deputy Head of the School of Sport and Exercise Science, both at the University of Worcester.

Join us to discuss the true story of Mary Seacole, researched over 20 years by Helen Rappaport, whose book reveals the truth about Seacole’s personal life and her ‘rivalry’ with Florence Nightingale. Often the reality proves more remarkable and dramatic than the legend. Rappaport talks to historian, broadcaster and author David Olusoga.

Join writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement along with special guests for a live recording of their weekly podcast on books and culture.

Jess French is a nature lover, TV presenter, author, and qualified vet known for her CBeebies show Minibeast Adventure with Jess. In It’s a Wonderful World Jess shows us the importance of the diversity of plants, animals and environments in our world and how to protect them. Join Jess for an introduction to her book and a question and answer session all about it.

Anisha, Accidental Detective is the award-winning series from Serena Patel and Emma McCann, featuring a host of mysteries that need to be solved by Anisha, her best friend Milo and their animal companions. Join Serena to solve the biggest mystery at Anisha’s holiday camp: who destroyed the holiday park’s mascot, Delilah the Duck?