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Most cultures tell the tale of a maiden who gives birth untouched by a man, and in the wild there are plenty of creatures – turkeys, Komodo ‘dragons’, and the ‘Jesus Christ’ lizard (which even walks on water) – that make babies without having sex. Soon, humans will have that option, too. The biologist explains How Science Is Redesigning The Rules Of Sex.
Challenging firmly-held beliefs is not to be undertaken lightly. However, it is crucial in all walks of life if societies are to develop and be capable of meeting new challenges. Author and campaigner Mark Lynas and renowned science writer Philip Ball discuss. Chaired by Andy Fryers.
Barry is still on a mission to fight off his loserness in these madcap light-hearted stories, with cartoon illustrations. Perfect for Wimpy Kid fans.
Duration 45 mins.
7+ years
Holly Webb’s popular animal stories may tug the heartstrings but always have a happy ending. An unmissable treat for her fans.
6+ years
Join us in making Mini Spanish Omelettes, Welsh Sushi, Giant Chocolate Waffles, Sicilian Chicken and No Bake Cheesecakes. The menu will be rotated between sessions on a daily basis.
9–12 years – children must be accompanied
An introduction to the map layout, symbols and scales on paper and digital devices; the Ordnance Survey grid system, including being able to take four figure and six figure grid references; how to use a compass effectively and how to take compass bearings.
Suitable for all ages 7+ years
A reading of the new collection by the man hailed by Carol Ann Duffy as ‘the patron saint of poetry’. Take comfort from this | You have a book in your hand | not a loaded gun or a parking fine | or an invitation card to the wedding | of the one you should have married.
What are the lessons to be learnt from Libya, Syria and Afghanistan? The senior NATO officer, Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, is joined by the UN Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and the leading international lawyer.
A delightful tour of the art, science and literature of The Human Body, Its Parts And The Stories They Tell – from the first finger-printing to the physiology of angels; from the death-mask of Isaac Newton to the afterlife of Einstein’s brain. Chaired by Clemency Burton-Hill.
The award-winning author of Let Our Fame Be Great maps the contours of Russia’s post-Soviet, vodka-soaked self-destruction through the prism of an extraordinary Orthodox priest, with equal passions for writing and for saving his fellow citizens from the KGB.
Forna’s The Hired Man is a powerful novel about the indelible effects of war and the memories which stir beneath the silence of a quiet Croatian town. Meek’s The Heart Broke In is a rich, ambitious family drama of love, death and money in the era of gene therapy and internet exposés.
Does putting a monetary value on Wales’ environment help to show how important it is or does it in fact diminish it? How do we fully appreciate and recognise the value of its contribution to our health, wellbeing and economy? Morgan Parry, non-exec director of National Resources Wales, RSPB Cymru’s Katie-Jo Luxton, Alun Davies, Natural Resources Minister for Wales and The Telegraph’s Geoffrey Lean discuss.
In association with RSPB Cymru
Dystopian futures, weird science, war. It’s all here. Be challenged, engaged and entertained with three uncompromising writers for young adults – Gemma Malley, Caroline Green and Phil Earle.
The three writers talk about why we love the dark side of life – at least in our stories. What would happen if everything was really awful? It seems to be our favourite topic. And some really awful stuff happens in all these books…
Gemma Malley’s dystopian trilogy began with the much praised The Killables and is followed by The Disappeared. Citizens of The City are graded according to how ‘Pure’ they are. Those labelled ‘K’ are deemed the most deviant and are never seen again… What happens to them, and what is happening beyond the perimeter of The City?
Caroline Green’s futuristic thriller, Cracks, was published to rave reviews. It has a very likeable protagonist whose whole past is beginning to look like fiction. Could he really be the subject of a weird scientific experiment? If he can’t even believe his own memories, what can he trust?
Phil Earle’s background working with troubled teens informed his novels Being Billy and Saving Daisy – stories of young people trying to cope with big problems in their lives which touched a chord with many readers. Heroic is also a tale of troubled lives, but this time it is the lives of young soldiers fighting in Afghanistan that take centre stage, and the difficulties a family has to cope with when a much loved brother comes home a very different person to the one who left.
13+ years
Join us in making Mini Spanish Omelettes, Welsh Sushi, Giant Chocolate Waffles, Sicilian Chicken and No Bake Cheesecakes. The menu will be rotated between sessions on a daily basis.
13–16 years
The Infinite Monkey Cage stand-up maths star takes an hilarious tour through the world of numbers. Expect everything from debunking number nonsense and flagrant sudoku abuse to the mysterious patterns in the locations of ancient monuments and defunct Woolworths’ stores.
The author of Cables From Kabul unpacks his diplomatic bag and spills the beans on how the world works in his riveting memoir Confessions Of A Foreign Office Mandarin.
The curators of this year’s blockbuster retrospective exhibition provide an insight into the making of this innovative show, which traces Bowie’s design collaborations and shifting style across five decades.
The award-winning crowd-funded publisher offers the Hay audience a chance to choose what gets published. Mixing authors whose books have already been funded with others pitching their ideas for books they want to write, this is a literary Dragons’ Den with a difference. Legendary writer and performer Salena Godden pitches her childhood memoir, Red Dwarf star Robert Llewellyn presents his science fiction sequel, novelist Charles Fernyhough asks whether neuroscience changes love, Strangler Hugh Cornwell and archaeologist-turned-crimewriter Francis Pryor compete for your support with a little help from publisher and QI Elf-master John Mitchinson. Light poetic relief from performance poet George Chopping.
A vivid history of the macabre as the author goes in search of the ancient customs, local characters and compelling tales that illuminate how people over the years have come to terms with our ultimate fate. He discovers what a small Norfolk church has to tell us about the apocalypse; why the greatest minds of the C17th were embroiled in debate over the phantom Drummer of Tedworth; and how a nineteenth-century Welsh druid completely changed the national view of cremation.
What does it mean for the future of travel if exploring our ‘Lonely Planet’ risks destroying our ‘Only Planet’? Malkin produced and directed three motorcycle adventure TV documentaries, Gillespie travelled around the world without flying, and Rawles (The Carbon Cycle) cycled from Texas to Alaska. Chaired by Steve Colling.