Hay Festival 2023

Philippa Gregory’s latest historical novel Dawnlands uncovers the little-known story of Queen Mary of Modena, King James II’s second wife. It is 1685 and England is on the brink of a renewed civil war against the Stuart kings with many families bitterly divided. Navigating this world are Alinor, coaxed by the manipulative Livia to save Queen Mary from the coming siege; Ned Ferryman, who returns from America with his Pokanoket servant to join the uprising against roman catholic King James; and Livia, summoned by Queen Mary to a terrified court. Gregory is the author of novels including The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen.

From arithmetic to infinity, fundamental mathematical concepts have never been so engaging as when Manil Suri guides us through them. In his mathematical origin story, Suri creates a natural progression of ideas needed to design our world, starting with numbers and continuing through geometry, algebra, and beyond. Using evocative examples from multidimensional crochet to the Mona Lisa’s asymmetrical smile, he proves that we can all fall in love with maths. Suri is a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is also a novelist whose work has been long-listed for the Booker Prize. The lecture will be introduced by Dr Ritu Dhand, Chief Scientific Officer at Springer Nature.

Historian David Olusoga speaks to a panel of experts, to be announced, about rewriting history, the history of future generations and new global perspectives. Olusoga’s work includes the book Black and British, a Black history of Britain, and an accompanying BBC TV programme. Olusoga is a Hay Festival 2023 Thinker in Residence, questioning norms, finding new perspectives and challenging us to action.

Join BBC Introducing host on 1xtra Theo Johnson for a Grime lyric writing masterclass.

Elsie is a sexy, funny and fiercely independent woman in South London, but she is a very tired 28-year-old. Estranged from her family, struggling with being continually rejected from jobs and scared of never making money doing what she loves, Elsie begins sleeping with co-worker Bea, and discovers it’s just another place for her to hide. As she tries to reconnect with her best friend Juliet, Elsie’s fragile world spirals out of control. Liv Little, the founder and former CEO of the award-winning publication gal-dem, talks to author, academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri about her gritty and strikingly bold novel.

Join the conversion with award-winning spoken word artist Jaspreet Kaur, and mental health activist, poet and writer Hussain Manawer as they explore if the British South Asian community is invisible in our Arts & Entertainment industry.

Hosted by BBC Radio broadcaster and DJ , Bobby Friction has had award winning shows on Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network, and guested on BBC 6 Music, Radio 4 and BBC Proms. He’s also the co-founded Going South to support and promote South Asian artists.

Jaspreet Kaur, also known as Behind the Netra, is the author of #1 Amazon bestseller, Brown Girl Like Me. She’s also a regular on the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and Radio 4.

Hussain Manawer, is the Original Mummy’s Boy and author of the Sunday Times best seller, Life is Sad and Beautiful. His commissions and collaborations include The Royal Family, The BAFTAs, The FA, Marcus Rashford. Most recently Manawer appeared alongside Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey in the mental health docu-series, 'The Me You Can't See'.

Join musician Stormzy and authors from #Merky Books, including Jade LB (Keisha The Sket) and Jyoti Patel (The Things That We Lost) in person, with Malorie Blackman (Just Sayin’) joining digitally, to celebrate five years of the award-winning publishing imprint he founded. #Merky Books launched with the ambition to publish books that will own – and change – the mainstream. Featuring established authors and exciting new voices, this is an evening of discussions and performance.

The conversation will be moderated by author, academic, and broadcaster Emma Dabiri.

We are thrilled to welcome back the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for this special event looking back on his career – with readings from the earliest collections to his book of lyrics, Never Good With Horses, and some new poems.

Museums in Britain are facing an uncertain period. Centres of learning and wonder, their role in keeping and displaying items often taken from other countries risks their future reputations among a generation questioning the way British history is presented. Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s Chief Culture writer and Dr Marenka Thompson-Odlum, Research Associate at the Pitt Rivers Museum, talks to editor of Prospect magazine Alan Rusbridger about contemporary museum issues, from restitution to funding.

Journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis with his book Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters. When we throw things ‘away’, what does that actually mean? Where does it go, and who deals with it when it gets there? Franklin-Wallis takes us on an eye-opening journey through the global waste industry.

Dealing with waste is a key issue for any business and joining this discussion is environmental trailblazer Juliet Davenport. From how to fuel business to how to hire ethically, market sustainably and deliver a product in an environmentally friendly way, she leads us through the most pressing questions facing any company trying to be kinder to the world around us. Juliet Davenport is the founder of Good Energy and author of The Green Start-Up.

They are in conversation with Hay Festival’s Sustainability Director Andy Fryers.

Born into a family of poets and storytellers in the Hebrides, Colin MacIntyre is an acclaimed multi award-winning musician, author and playwright, who releases under the moniker Mull Historical Society. MacIntyre’s album In My Mind There’s a Room is a collaboration with his favourite authors, including Sebastian Barry, Ian Rankin, Nick Hornby, Jacqueline Wilson, Alan Warner, Jackie Kay and Val McDermid. He recorded it in his charismatic poet-come-bank manager grandfather’s front room of 45 years, and asked authors to provide lyrics on significant rooms to them. MacIntyre, whose novel When the Needle Drops is published later this year, performs tracks from the album and his back catalogue, with readings and discussion on the creative process involved.

N’famady Kouyaté is a young, energetic master musician who plays modern interpretations of traditional West African Mandingue songs. His primary instrument is the balafon – the traditional wooden xylophone, sacred to West African culture and his family heritage of the griot/djeli. This 40-minute performance shows Kouyaté mash-ups of traditional Guinean songs with new Welsh lyrics, and modern and traditional instrumentation.

Got a dilemma about love, relationships, social media, friendship, family or sex? Chances are Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love, Dear Dolly) has provided a solution to it – and many other issues – in the years she’s been running her Dear Dolly agony aunt column in The Sunday Times Style. In conversation with Strictly Come Dancing professional Mabuse, Alderton discusses some of her favourite columns, and shares her wisdom on life, love and more.

We all, regardless of who we are, transition at some point, developing as people. In activist and model Munroe Bergdorf’s Transitional, she shares reflections from her own life to illustrate how transitioning is an essential part of all of our lives. Through the story of how Bergdorf sought to live with authenticity, she shows us how to heal, build a stronger community and evolve as a society out of shame and into pride. She talks to novelist (Rosewater) and gal-dem founder Liv Little about her life-affirming, heartfelt and intimate book. Bergdorf is contributing editor at British Vogue and hosts the podcast The Way We Are.

Take a step behind the most famous door in the UK with Whips, Cleo Watson’s tale of intrigue and scandal. When Bobby Cliveden decides to campaign against the closure of her local mental health unit, she ends up in the heart of the UK’s bustling political centre, and discovers a secret, soft-skilled machinery behind so much political change at the very highest level of government: women. Watson, who worked on President Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012 and served in 10 Downing Street as Theresa May’s political adviser then Boris Johnson’s co-deputy chief of staff, talks to ITV News’ political editor Robert Peston (author of The Whistleblower) about writing fiction based on reality, satirising politics and her unique insight into government.

The Poetry Pharmacy has a prescription whatever your poetic need or desire, from verses to soothe your soul and brighten your day to poems that offer comfort in times of trouble. William Sieghart, creator and editor of The Poetry Pharmacy, is joined by Karen Bryson (Zack Snyder's Justice League, White Wall), Denise Gough (Colette, Andor), Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show, Solaris) and Dominic West (The Crown, Tomb Raider) for an evening of connection and inspiration.

​Chaired by journalist, broadcaster and author Kavita Puri.

Dara Ó Briain was ready for a break after 180 performances of his last tour, across 20 countries and two years. That was in March 2020 and he now, of course, regrets saying that and will never wish for it again. His new show So…Where Were We? largely ignores the pandemic, and contains his usual mix of stories, one-liners, audience messing and tripping over his words by talking too quickly because he's so giddy to be back in front of a crowd.

Six-member ska ensemble Zhadan and the Dogs is a band that defines the musical scene of Eastern Ukraine. Their two-decade long career includes two acclaimed studio albums. Join them for a night of dance, good music and songs that will make you think and feel.

South Asian ​spoken word artists perform their work. Zia Ahmed is a poet and writer hailing from North-West London, a former Poetry Slam Champion at Roundhouse London, whose Peaceophobia won Best Stage Production 2022 at the Asian Media Awards. Hussain Manawer is a British mental health activist, poet and writer born and raised in East London, and a globally renowned mental health activist.

​The trio will be hosted by BBC Radio broadcaster and DJ Bobby Friction, who has had award winning shows on Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network, and has guested on BBC 6 Music, Radio 4 and BBC Proms.

Bobby Fiction co-founded Going South with Chris Tofu and Ajay Chhabra to support and promote South Asian artists.

Experts Paul Johnson and Simon Johnson talk to economist Faiza Shaheen about holding government to account, why elites often benefit from our financial and technological systems, and how we can ensure a fairer world for all. Paul Johnson is director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the author of Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost?, an examination of the way the state raises and spends £1 trillion of our money every year. Simon Johnson is the Ronald A. Kurtz professor of entrepreneurship in the Sloan School at MIT and was previously chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. He is the co-author, with Daron Acemoglu, of Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity.