Hay Festival 2023

Our 2023 Festival took place 25 May - 4 June. The programme is listed below.

Most of the events are now available in our online archive Hay Player – please see individual listings for more details.

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Event 399

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Catherine Chanter, Nicola Garrard and Carly Reagon

THE LUCY CAVENDISH FICTION PRIZE: HOW TO GET YOUR WORK PUBLISHED

Venue: Marquee
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Are you longing to see your novel in print but don't know where to start? Find out about the whole process from draft through to finding an agent and publisher from previous nominees and winners of the prestigious Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, renowned for helping undiscovered female writers launch their literary careers. A panel of shortlisted authors who went on to secure publishing deals share insider information and advice on how to get off the starting block. Catherine Chanter, author of The Well, was the winner in 2013, Nicola Garrard, 29 Locks, and Carly Reagon, The Toll House, were both shortlised in 2019.
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Event HD22

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Davinia Tomlinson

Cash is Queen

Venue: The Hive
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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.

14+ years
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Event 181

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Carol Ann Duffy and John Sampson

Words and Music

Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage
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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.

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Event 182

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Michael Scott

X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries

Venue: Llwyfan Cymru – Wales Stage
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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.

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Event 183

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Jenny Erpenbeck and Carlos Fonseca talk to Daniel Hahn

Identities and Change

Venue: The Hive
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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.

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Event 184

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Sander van der Linden

Foolproof: Why we Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity

Venue: Wye Stage
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Misinformation – from fake news to conspiracy theories– is everywhere, and however savvy we are, it can be hard to avoid being taken in. In his new book, FOOLPROOF, Sander van der Linden looks at the psychology behind misinformation, and shows us how we can inoculate ourselves and others against its spread, discern fact from fiction and push back against methods of mass manipulation. Van der Linden is the Professor of Social Psychology in Society and director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He is one of the world’s most cited social scientists and often dubbed Cambridge’s ‘Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher’.
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Event 185

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Alys Conran, Marvin Thompson, Carys Eleri and Owen Sheers

Everything Change: Writing the Climate Crisis

Venue: Hwyl Stage
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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.

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Event 186

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Then Before

Text–Sound–Art

Venue: Marquee
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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.

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Event 187

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Robin Ince talks to Marcus Brigstocke

Bibliomanic: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain

Venue: Llwyfan Cymru – Wales Stage
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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.

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Event 188

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Athene Donald

Not Just for the Boys: Why We Need More Women in Science

Venue: The Hive
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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.

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Event 189

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Rowan Williams, Laura McAllister and Miguela Gonzalez in conversation with Auriol Miller

Wales: Independence and Other Options

Venue: Wye Stage
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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.

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Event 190

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Janet Hayward, Becky Clark and Penny Hay talk to Andy Middleton

Learning What’s Fit for the Future: How Good Could It Be?

Venue: Hwyl Stage
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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.

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Event 191

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Then Before

Text–Sound–Art

Venue: Marquee
Read more

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.

This event has taken place

Event 192

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Then Before

Text–Sound–Art

Venue: Marquee
Read more

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.

This event has taken place

Event 193

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Judi Jackson

In concert: My American Songbook

Venue: Baillie Gifford Stage
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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.

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Event 194

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Mark Steel

An Evening and a Little bit of a Morning With Mark Steel

Venue: Llwyfan Cymru – Wales Stage
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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.

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Event 195

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Fear of Faith in the Arts moderated by James Hodkinson

Common Wealth and Soul City Arts

Venue: Hwyl Stage
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Performers and directors from two ground-breaking acclaimed productions, Peaceophobia and Waswasa – which explore faith, systemic racism and the lived experience of young Muslim men in Bradford and Birmingham – discuss why the arts are so secular and if audiences are scared of faith, and why. This will be a unique script reading performance accompanied by film and projection, and followed by a post-show conversation.

Peaceophobia is on a current UK tour, co-produced by Fuel Theatre and Common Wealth, written by Zia Ahmed. Waswasa is a show by Mohammed Ali MBE, Soul City Arts and originally commissioned by B2022 Festival.

James Hodkinson is Professor of Modern Languages and plays a leading role in the Institute of Public Engagement at Warwick University. He specialises in forging links between academic research and the arts sector.

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Event 196

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Leah Hazard talks to Rachel Parris

Womb

Venue: The Hive
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The womb is the most miraculous organ in the body, yet most of us know almost nothing about it. Midwife and author Leah Hazard goes on a journey to explore the rich past, complex present and dynamic future of the uterus, speaking to the Californian doctor who believes women deserve a period-free life and walking in the footsteps of the Scottish woman whose Caesarean section changed childbirth forever. With warmth and wisdom, Hazard talks to comedian Rachel Parris about her book Womb, an extraordinary exploration of a woefully under-researched and misunderstood organ.

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Event 197

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Then Before

Text–Sound–Art

Venue: Marquee
Read more

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.

This event has taken place

Event 198

Events taking place live 25 May–4 June 2023

Morning Yoga with Kanga Wellbeing

Venue: Hwyl Stage
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Start your day with a morning yoga class designed to reinvigorate your energy and spirit. Enjoy a grounding, energising, alignment‐based yoga practice, using the breath and sound to rediscover and rejuvenate the body and mind. Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Yoga mats and props are provided.

Please contact Kanga Wellbeing on spa@kangaevents.com for any questions relating to these classes. As capacity is limited, we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

Kanga Wellbeing will also be onsite throughout the Festival offering wellbeing and a wide range of holistic massage therapies. Therapies will be held in cosy lotus belle tents with heaters and fans. For more information or to book, please visit www.kangaevents.com/hay-festival. For enquiries, please email spa@kangaevents.com.

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