Hay Festival 2023

Rising sea levels are threatening the coastal communities around the globe, forcing communities to move inland; but what if there is no ‘inland’. Small, low-level islands are at real danger of disappearing under the waves, what happens to the people and their culture. Diwigdi Valiente is an indigenous leader from the Guna peoples of Panama with more than 10 years of experience as a social entrepreneur and consultant on sustainability. A passionate protector of the ocean, they founded the Burwigan Project, an art collective that inspires actions against climate change and plastic pollution within the Panamanian population and indigenous communities. Farah Faizal is the High Commissioner of Maldives to the UK and Ambassador of Maldives to France, Ireland and Spain.
They are in conversation with Hay Festival's Sustainability Director, Andy Fryers.

The Mesta River is one of the oldest inhabited rivers of Europe and a nexus for plant gatherers. Kapka Kassabova introduces us to the river via her book Elixir, an unforgettable exploration of the deep connections between people, plants and place. She urgently calls for us to rethink how we live, in relation to one another, to the Earth and to the cosmos. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A chaired by writer and translator Daniel Hahn. Kassabova is a Bulgarian poet and writer of fiction and non-fiction.

George March’s dutiful wife relishes the lifestyle his latest smash hit novel brings, until a shopkeeper assumes that the protagonist in his new book – a sex worker who is more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs March. The casual remark robs Mrs March of the belief that she knew everything about her husband, and sends her on an increasingly paranoid journey…one that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs March’s past. In conversation with Xiaolu Guo (author of Radical: A Life of my own), Virginia Feito discusses her razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity and the smothering weight of expectations.

Democracy rests on a vision of social change and human development, and visions need aspiration and hope to materialise. While we live in a time of social discontent with how democracy and governance work, we are witnessing the explosion of a multiplicity of civil society movements worldwide. Discussing the future of democracy and the relationship between hope and democratic politics are: Lyse Doucet, BBC's Chief International Correspondent, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga, and Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London. Bronwen Maddox is CEO of think tank Chatham House.

Research shows that children form their earliest money habits by the age of seven, and Tomlinson is on a mission to teach young people how to form valuable, long-lasting money habits. The Cash is Queen author leads an energetic, interactive event, sharing her top tips and quizzing the audience on their own financial aptitude, making sure the financial habits we form are ones that will have a positive impact.

Former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and instrumentalist John Sampson join forces for a unique event of words and music. Duffy performs some of her much-loved poems as well as new work, interspersed with musical interludes by Sampson, a multi-instrumentalist who plays the trumpet, recorders and a plethora of early and obscure wind instruments such as the crumhorn, gemshorn, and cornettino. Duffy and Sampson have collaborated for 20 years, playing venues including Buckingham Palace.

Archaeological finds tell us a lot about the past, but the stories behind archaeological exploration and discovery – what we look for when, what we end up finding, and what we then do with it – tell us almost as much about ourselves today. Through eight sensational stories of discovery, Professor Michael Scott traces the evolution of modern archaeology from colonial expeditions to today’s cutting-edge digs. Introducing the people who found world-famous discoveries like the Rosetta Stone, the Terracotta Warriors and Machu Picchu, and unravelling how archaeological finds have often become emblems of modern fascinations and dilemmas, Scott tells us why X never, ever marks the spot.

German writer Jenny Erpenbeck’s new book Kairos is a story of love and betrayal set in Berlin during the years before and after the fall of the Wall. When a young student and an older man meet by chance on a bus, their attraction is intense and sudden, heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, as the world around them is changing too, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss. Carlos Fonseca’s Austral is a novel about the traces we leave, the traces we erase and the traces we seek to rebuild. From the Guatemalan wilderness to the high Peruvian Amazon, passing through Nueva Germania, the anti-Semitic commune founded in Paraguay by Nietzsche’s sister, Austral takes us on a long journey south, following a trail of ecological and cultural destruction to excavate contemporary xenophobia. The writers discuss the books and their themes with editor and translator Daniel Hahn.

Creativity lies at the heart of our response to the climate crisis. Owen Sheers, Swansea University’s professor in creativity and Co-founder of Black Mountains College, recently curated Everything Change, a series of events about creativity and the climate crisis. He is joined by three of Wales’s most dynamic new writers – novelist Alys Conran, poet Marvin Thompson and singer, comedian and actor Carys Eleri – as they share the work they created in response and discuss the role of the writer and artist in addressing the challenges of the climate and ecological emergencies.

Then Before is a sound installation devised by sound artist Wajid Yaseen. Poems are presented in a multi-speaker, immersive listening installation, realised and activated by narration, music, found-sound, foley and spatialisation – a form of ‘sound or sonic poetry’. Then Before uses a selection of poems by writers Alice Kemp (a poet informed by states of dream, disturbance, and subtle trance), Jack Underwood (curator of the Faber Poetry Podcast and author of Happiness, A Year in the New Life), and Shamshad Khan (poet and resilience coach, author of Megalomaniac), sonified and with spatialisation by Yaseen.

Modus Arts have performed at the Arnolfini Bristol, ICA Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Whitechapel Gallery, Laban and the Freud Museum in London. Text–Sound–Art is a platform for exploring how poets and sound artists can work together to extend poetry into soundscape, and sound into wordscapes to create new meaning and enhance both disciplines.

Books, books and more books: Robin Ince’s quest to discover just why he can never have enough books is one familiar to many a bookworm, and one he’s recorded in his book Bibliomaniac. Ince, co-presenter with Professor Brian Cox of the BBC Radio 4 show and podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage, shares anecdotes and tall tales from his tour of more than 100 bookshops, undertaken when the pandemic resulted in the cancellation of his stadium tour with Cox. From Wigtown to Penzance and Swansea to Margate, Ince talks to comedian Marcus Brigstocke about his epic journey, meeting book lovers and what he discovered about his own addiction to books.

Women are no longer barred from laboratories and unable to take science degrees, but the number of women studying physics and engineering remains small. Athene Donald, a distinguished physicist, explores why girls are discouraged from doing science and what barriers women face in the world of modern research. Using her own experience and those of other top women scientists, she argues that women must take their proper place as equals in the lab and in the committees where top-level decisions are made.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and Professor Laura McAllister, professor of public policy and the governance of Wales at Cardiff University, co-chair the commission looking at options to reform the structures of the UK and strengthen Welsh democracy to deliver improvements for its people. With commission member Gonzalez, they discuss the existential challenges facing the UK, the work of the commission and options to secure Wales’ future with Auriol Miller, director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

British teenagers are the unhappiest in Europe, so what can we do to offer them enjoyable education that prepares them for the world we know is coming? And what role can nature and the outdoors play? Fellows from the Royal Society of Arts explore what educators, business, community organisations and parents can do to equip pupils with the values, curiosity and confidence they will need to make change. Janet Hayward is a headteacher and founder of food education charity Big Bocs Bwyd. Becky Clark, is the Director of Drama and Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Stowe School, Penny Hay, Reader in Creative Teaching and Learning at Bath Spa University, Director of Research, House of Imagination, Andy Middleton is a sustainability entrepreneur and innovator.

Then Before is a sound installation devised by sound artist Wajid Yaseen. Through the work, Yaseen presents poems in a multi-speaker, immersive listening installation, realised and activated by narration, music, found-sound, foley and spatialisation – a form of ‘sound or sonic poetry’.

The installation uses a selection of poems by writers Alice Kemp (a poet informed by states of dream, disturbance, and subtle trance), Jack Underwood (curator of the Faber Poetry Podcast and author of Happiness, A Year in the New Life), and Shamshad Khan (poet and resilience coach, author of Megalomaniac).

Then Before is part of Modus Arts’ Text-Sound-Art programme which is a platform for exploring how poets and sound artists can work together to extend poetry into soundscape, and sound into wordscapes to create new meaning and enhance both disciplines

Modus Arts have performed and installed at the Arnolfini Bristol, ICA Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Whitechapel Gallery, Laban and the Freud Museum in London.

Then Before is a sound installation devised by sound artist Wajid Yaseen. Through the work, Yaseen presents poems in a multi-speaker, immersive listening installation, realised and activated by narration, music, found-sound, foley and spatialisation – a form of ‘sound or sonic poetry’.

The installation uses a selection of poems by writers Alice Kemp (a poet informed by states of dream, disturbance, and subtle trance), Jack Underwood (curator of the Faber Poetry Podcast and author of Happiness, A Year in the New Life), and Shamshad Khan (poet and resilience coach, author of Megalomaniac).

Then Before is part of Modus Arts’ Text-Sound-Art programme which is a platform for exploring how poets and sound artists can work together to extend poetry into soundscape, and sound into wordscapes to create new meaning and enhance both disciplines

Modus Arts have performed and installed at the Arnolfini Bristol, ICA Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Whitechapel Gallery, Laban and the Freud Museum in London.

Judi Jackson grew up in Virginia, USA, playing piano and singing in the church choir. At 16 she opened for Mavis Staples, and two years later, teamed with jazz fusionists Snarky Puppy. When she moved to London, she channelled Joni Mitchell, Sade and Erykah Badu into her EP Blame it on my Youth. She was voted Vocalist of the Year at the 2020 Jazz FM Awards. Last year she released her full-length debut album Grace. Jackson’s live show includes her own interpretations of songs from jazz greats Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald along with her original soul-infused music.

There is so much to yell about, but there’s also so much to be delighted by. Mark Steel knows the world is a heap of contradictions; after all, he was brought up in a working-class street in Kent only to discover his natural father was a millionaire backgammon player who was best mates with Lord Lucan. He’s just trying to stay young while being unable to log into any website, and trying to be respectable and mainstream until he finds something to rant about. Join him for an evening (and maybe a little longer if there’s a lot to talk about) of comedy, with a piano and a bit of singing. Steel is a regular on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You, QI and BBC R4’s News Quiz.