Hay Festival 2013

The story of animation stretches back to the early 1800s with the invention of spinning optical illusion devices such as the zoetrope. These days animation is everywhere from animated films, cartoons and GIFs to computer games and VR. But how did we get here? Learn about the origins of early animation and create your own loopy animation in this fun, hands-on workshop led by visual artists MASH Cinema.

We have long been taught to presume that modern global history began when the ‘Old World’ encountered the ‘New’, when Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ America in 1492. But, as Caroline Dodds Pennock conclusively shows in her groundbreaking book, for tens of thousands of Aztecs, Maya, Totonacs, Inuit and others – enslaved people, diplomats, explorers, servants, traders – the reverse was true: they discovered Europe. For them, Europe comprised savage shores – a land of riches and marvels, yet perplexing for its brutal disparities of wealth and quality of life, and its baffling beliefs. The story of these Indigenous Americans abroad is a story of abduction, loss, cultural appropriation, and, as they saw it, of apocalypse – a story that has largely been absent from our collective imagination of the times. She speaks to historian, writer and broadcaster David Olusoga.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 has had a huge and negative effect on the country’s women; they are banned from secondary and university education, cannot work for non-governmental organisations, and face increasing restrictions on basic freedoms. Film-maker and journalist Tamana Ayazi speaks to the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet about the reality for women in Afghanistan, and what happens next. Ayazi directed the Netflix documentary In her Hands, which narrates the story of Zafira Ghafari and her fight for human rights when the Taliban took over her country.

From creating simple yet tasty recipes with low-cost store cupboard ingredients to creating the Vimes ‘Boots’ index to measure the cost of basic foodstuffs and inflation, Monroe is the UK’s best-loved expert on budget cooking. She discusses her new collection of recipes, Thrifty Kitchen, and talks about her activism around ensuring everyone has access to delicious, nutritious food.

BBC Radio 3’s Lunchtime Concert series is presented by Sarah Walker and explores the music of Schubert and others. This first of four recitals broadcast during the Hay Festival week offers a programme including Schubert’s String Quartet No 10 in E flat, D87 and Hensel’s String Quartet in E flat, Op 277.

The internationally renowned and versatile Carducci String Quartet have performed everything from brand new quartets and classic works to folk-rock. The Quartet’s members are Matthew Denton (violin), Michelle Fleming (violin), Eoin Schmidt-Martin (viola) and Emma Denton (cello).

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.

Get set for some supercharged family fun with David Walliams’ latest novel, an action-packed comic caper set in a city called Bedlam, about the Police Dog School’s newest recruit and future of crime fighting: Robodog. Despite his inexperience, it’s up to Robodog to help stop the most feared duo in Bedlam, and their evil plans to ruin the city. David introduces his unlikely heroes, despicable baddies and a comedic cast of characters including an ice queen, a giant worm and a dastardly collective of cats.

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. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

The story of animation stretches back to the early 1800s with the invention of spinning optical illusion devices such as the zoetrope. These days animation is everywhere from animated films, cartoons and GIFs to computer games and VR. But how did we get here? Learn about the origins of early animation and create your own loopy animation in this fun, hands-on workshop led by visual artists MASH Cinema.

The BBC’s International Editor has covered the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. In his new book, he meets ordinary men and women on the front line, their leaders, whether brutal or benign, and explores the power games that have so often wreaked devastation on civilian populations as those leaders, whatever their motives, jostle for political, religious and economic control. With his deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences between countries as diverse as Erdoğan’s Turkey, Assad's Syria and Netanyahu's Israel, he offers readers an authoritative guide to the modern Middle East.

Older women have often been sidelined, or ignored completely, in fiction, but novelists Joanne Harris and Fran Littlewood are here to correct that in conversation with psychotherapist Maxine Mei-Fung Chung. Joanne Harris’ Broken Light follows a 50-year-old whose dreams and ambitions have been forgotten by everyone, including herself, and whose childhood memories – and a hidden talent – are unlocked by a murder. Fran Littlewood’s Amazing Grace Adams takes place across a single day, following the titular character as she seeks to reconnect with her daughter and husband. Join Harris and Littlewood as they discuss how ‘women of a certain age’ are far from invisible and boring.

Welcome to the world of seaweed, one of the most versatile plants on our planet both for biodiversity and human use. Critically important in the natural world as a diverse habitat, seaweeds also are tremendously versatile; their uses range from food to clothing and an alternative to plastic, as well as being key to coastal protection and fisheries enhancement. Vincent Doumeizel, senior advisor for United Nations Global Compact, director food programme at Lloyd’s Register Foundation and author of The Seaweed Revolution, leads an interactive showcase with some of the world’s best seaweed specialists.

Mystery and myth await you as debut author Clara Kumagai spins the tale of a Japan fractured in time by an infamous monster. There’s a catfish under the islands and when it rolls the land rises and falls. Sora hates the catfish, whose rolling caused an earthquake so powerful it cracked time itself. It destroyed her home and took her mother. After Sora’s father goes missing too, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the ruptured time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself...

This outstanding coming-of-age YA novel weaves themes of identity, ecology, loss and love. Set in a world of Japanese myth, folklore and magical realism, it’s perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli.

Come and join Rooted Forest School for outdoor family sessions inspired by the Forest School approach. We’ll use foraged materials to craft natural items that you can take away with you, taking part in some simple tool use and finishing off with a hot apple juice around the fire. These sessions are aimed at families and will run whatever the weather, so make sure you’re wrapped up for the conditions.

As the climate, biodiversity and food supply crises become ever more urgent, George Monbiot and Minette Batters debate the major issues facing farming and society, and the plans for future food production from the small-holding to the astonishing potential of new food technologies, such as precision fermentation. What are the implications for consumers, farmers and the living world? Monbiot is a Guardian columnist and the author of Feral, Regenesis and Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis. He won the Orwell Prize for journalism in 2022 for his decades-long commitment to neglected environmental issues. Minette Batters is a farmer and the President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales.

Dr Jim Down, a consultant in critical care and anaesthesia at University College London Hospitals, brings us to the very heart of the intensive care unit with stories about patients including a poisoned Russian spy and the victims of a terrorist bomb, a major rail crash, Covid and an Ebola-like virus. Delving into ethical conundrums such as what gives life meaning, how much suffering is too much and, in a cash-strapped NHS, who should get to decide, he describes the quietly heroic work of doctors and nurses on the ICU, and explains with unflinching honesty the toll working there eventually took on his own mental health.

The authors of The Science and Art of Dreaming explain the psychology and neuroscience of dreaming. They describe how dream-sharing increases empathy between people, and explore art and surrealism. Mark Blagrove is a professor of psychology at Swansea University specialising in the study of sleep and dreams. Julia Lockheart set up the Metadesign Research Centre at Swansea College of Art and in 2016 began an art science collaboration with Blagrove.

Go on a journey of self-discovery with Andrew Aziza, the protagonist of The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa. Preoccupied with hanging out with friends, grappling with his fantasies about white girls, and obsessing over mathematical theorems, ideas of black power and HXVX: the Curse of Africa, Andy’s life is thrown off balance when he falls in love with Eileen and an unfamiliar man claims to be his father. Stephen Buoro, a recipient of the Booker Prize Foundation scholarship, talks to historian David Olusoga about creating Andy Africa and writing a tragicomedy.

Find your inner fire in this interactive event with Lee Newbery. He’ll introduce his magical novel The Last Firefox and its sequel The First Shadowdragon, a heartwarming story about family and friendship. Explore Newbery’s writing journey and inspiration, then design your own magical creature in a Pokémon card activity and take part in a Welsh animal words quiz! The event will also offer a sensitive introduction to adoption for children in the audience, and celebrate all the different types of families in the world.

Come and join Rooted Forest School for outdoor family sessions inspired by the Forest School approach. We’ll use foraged materials to craft natural items that you can take away with you, taking part in some simple tool use and finishing off with a hot apple juice around the fire. These sessions are aimed at families and will run whatever the weather, so make sure you’re wrapped up for the conditions.

To solve the global challenges we face, we need our best brain power. So how do we create genius environments, help our brains flourish and boost group thinking to achieve that? Neuroscientist and author of The Science of Fate Hannah Critchlow shares why two heads are better than one, electrifying our minds with brain synchronicity, exploring the power of intuition and increasing our tolerance for uncertainty. Her new book is Joined-Up Thinking: The Science of Collective Intelligence and its Power to Change our Lives.