Thursday 2 June 2022

A little light ridicule, mockery and fun to start the day as the satirists read the tabloids and surf the social media storms for an irreverent look at what’s tickling the nation’s fancy – and driving it to splenetic fury – today. The team are joined by Sophia Smith Galer who is a multi-award-winning journalist, TikTok creator and author of Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century.

Armstrong argues that if we want to avert environmental catastrophe, it is not enough to change our behaviour: we need to learn to think and feel differently about the natural world, to rekindle our spiritual bond with nature. For most of human history, nature was believed to be sacred, and our God or gods present everywhere in the natural world. When the West began to separate God and nature, it set in train the destruction of the natural world. Taking themes that have been central to the world’s religious traditions – from gratitude and compassion to sacrifice and non-violence – she offers practical steps to help us develop a new mindset to reconnect with nature and renew our sense of the sacred. In conversation with journalist and editor Kitty Corrigan.

Paddy Crewe presents his brilliantly original debut to author and critic Erica Wagner. It is 1815 in a small town in Georgia, when Yip Tolroy – mute and a social outcast – is born. His mother struggles to manage his needs, leaving Yip to find his own way in a hostile environment. He begins to transform his life by learning to read and write, his portal into the community a piece of slate and supply of chalk. At 15, his life is altered irrevocably when he witnesses the discovery of gold and commits a grievous crime that leaves him with no choice but to flee. Thrust into a world of violence, Yip and his unlikely comrade Dud are forced to leave town and embark on an odyssey across the wonder and horror of the American frontier.

Guides from Brecon Beacons National Park lead a gentle walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye. Two of the Park’s leading ecologists share their knowledge of some of the local flora and fauna.

Illustrator Rob Biddulph sketches out a fun-packed session for all the family. Rob helped everyone get through lockdown with his brilliant #DrawwithRob videos, and now you can join in live with a draw-along fresh from his latest book Amazing Animals! Find out all about Rob’s journey from budding artist to award-winning picture book creator and Guinness World Record holder in this event fizzing with fun and creativity.

What would you do if your favourite footballer granted you nine wishes? Well, that’s what happens to Archie Crumb in Helen Rutter’s new book. Helen tells us how her wish to be an author came true, and how you can achieve your dreams.

Poetry meets geolocation and augmented reality in this creative writing workshop with a digital dimension. Head4Arts and the multi-talented Rufus Mufasa invite you to come in and find your happy place, inspired by what3words.

Everyone attending requires a ticket

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. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.

The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades presents a new edition of his emotional story, Making It. Jay, whose upcoming show is The Streets Where I Lived, talks about his experiences of racism and police brutality, his struggles with mental health and the events that led to him being homeless. His honesty offers hope that no matter what struggles you’re going through, change is possible.

Jay explores themes of friendship and family, male vulnerability and dyslexia. He reflects on the satisfaction he finds in jobs that help others, his children, the joy he finds in working with charities and social enterprises across the country and how his passion for upcycling and restoring furniture began at home.

Shakespeare’s world is never too far from our own – permeated with the same tragedies, existential questions and domestic worries. Acclaimed biographer Jonathan Bate queries with TLS Editor Michael Caines whether, if you persevere with Shakespeare, he can offer a word of wisdom or a human insight for any time or any crisis.

We owe it to our fellow humans – and other species – to save them from the catastrophic harm caused by climate change. The philosopher approaches climate justice as something that should motivate us all. Starting from irrefutable science and uncontroversial moral rules, she explores our obligations to each other and to the non-human world, unravels the legacy of colonialism and entrenched racism and makes the case for immediate action. Cripps is a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and author of Climate Change and the Moral Agent. ​In conversation with Andy Fryers, Sustainability Director at Hay Festival.

Pens at the ready! You can draw Tom Gates and a host of other characters with writer and illustrator Liz Pichon. Liz brings to life her brand new Tom Gates drawing book, and is ready to answer all your questions about her books. Bring your own notebook and get ready to doodle.

Cats are the best! Acclaimed children’s poet Simon Mole celebrates their beauty, acrobatic prowess and the undeniable sense of achievement that comes from a cat deciding your lap is worthy of curling up on. Hot on the wheels of the success of his book I Love My Bike, Simon returns to Hay with a sequel that is sure to leave you feline good!

Poetry meets geolocation and augmented reality in this creative writing workshop with a digital dimension. Head4Arts and the multi-talented Rufus Mufasa invite you to come in and find your happy place, inspired by what3words.

Everyone attending requires a ticket

In Miles Jupp’s satirical, tragi-comic story about a man on the edge, Clive Hapgood is feeling stuck. The private school he teaches at is consuming his life, the gentle country life he envisaged has stifled him and left his marriage on the brink. What he needs is something to remind him and Helen what life used to be like. But when an incident at school weighs heavy on his head, his life starts to unravel. Has he got it in him to turn things around? Miles Jupp played Nigel in the sitcom Rev, and John Duggan in Armando Iannucci’s The Thick of it.

As the BBC turns 100, Boris Johnson’s government is slashing our national broadcaster’s budget and threatening the licence fee – cheered on by newspaper owners who think they stand to gain. But what is the role of the BBC in 2022? And how can we stand up for it? Speakers include Jean Seaton, Professor of media history at the University of Westminster, and author of a volume of the official history of the BBC, and AC Grayling, philosopher, author and the Founder and Principal of New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University. Chaired by Alan Rusbridger, Editor of Prospect magazine.

A recent report from the charity Student Minds revealed that 74% of students felt the pandemic had had a negative impact on their mental health. How can we help individuals and colleges to tackle this issue? A new book, Preventing and Responding to Student Suicide – A Practical Guide for FE and HE Settings, offers a variety of approaches.

Tim Jones is Acting Pro Vice Chancellor Students at University of Worcester, where Jo Smith is Emeritus Professor; Nic Streatfield is Director of Student Life and Wellbeing at the University of York, ​Sarah Gordon, is a member of Student Minds’ Student Advisory Committee and Rosie Tressler is CEO of Student Minds.

TikTok users are sharing their passion for books with millions and reshaping the publishing world in the process, all in under a minute. Join some of the community’s leading creators for a dynamic introduction to what’s trending.

In the last of our four BBC Radio 3 lunchtime recitals broadcast at Hay Festival this week, presented by BBC Radio 3 presenter Sarah Walker, Ruby Hughes (soprano) and Huw Watkins (piano) play a programme featuring a selection of popular songs by Dvořák and folksongs by Britten, as well as Echo by the pianist Huw Watkins and the UK première of four Romances by Kashperova.

Do you have a puzzling science question that you have always wanted to know the answer to? Professor Robert Winston explains the science behind some of the most bizarre and intriguing questions he has ever been asked. Find out the answers to questions such as ‘why is the sky blue?’, ‘does space ever end?’ and ‘could human life ever be created in a laboratory?’ Whatever your interest, get ready to learn about science in a fun and exciting way. Perfect for quizzical young readers wanting to know more about the world we live in.