Our monthly 'Meet the Haymaker' series shares stories of the change-makers at the heart of Hay Festival Global and the impact it has had on their lives. This month, hear from Gemma June Howell, author and Hay Festival 2025 Writers at Work participant.
What does Hay Festival Global mean to you?
Hay Festival Global is a celebration of stories, ideas, and human connection across borders. It brings together voices from all walks of life and reminds us that books and conversations can change the world. For me, it’s a rare space where art, politics and literature meet without prejudice.
What’s your favourite Festival memory?
Launching my debut novel The Crazy Truth at Hay Festival 2024 was unforgettable. The audience’s response moved me deeply – people were so touched that they came over afterwards to talk, to cry, to share secrets and life stories. That blend of nerves, connection, and unexpected joy, held in such a historic and monumental space, is something I’ll carry with me forever.
Have you ever changed your mind on something having been to a Hay Festival event?
Yes – being part of the Is Psychiatry Working? panel, chaired by Horatio Clare, reshaped how I think about trauma, recovery, and the role of storytelling. Hearing Horatio speak so openly about his experiences brought a rare honesty and gentleness to the conversation. It challenged the idea that healing is linear or purely clinical – and reminded me that recovery is an ongoing, unpredictable journey. Yet, literature holds transformational power as a collective consciousness-raising necessity. The stories we tell – and the ways we choose to tell them – allow us to connect across personal and cultural boundaries, offering a mirror to those who feel unseen and a map to those navigating their own pain. When we share our stories, especially in spaces like Hay, we create room for others to see themselves, to be witnessed, to be heard. Such deep psyche connections to literature are fundamental to transcendence. They allow us to move beyond silence and stigma, to understand one another more fully, and ultimately to imagine new ways of being. The audience engagement during the panel was a powerful reminder of how many people are carrying these questions quietly – and how literature, when it speaks from the depths of lived experience, can make those inner landscapes visible.
Who was the best speaker or performer you saw on a Hay Festival stage?
Jeannette Winterson. She’s electric – sharp, funny, unflinching. She makes you see the world differently, and I left the tent feeling braver and more awake than when I went in.
What advice do you have for a first-timer at the Festival?
Plan your schedule loosely – leave space for spontaneity. The best events are often the ones you wander into unexpectedly. And wear layers. It’s Wales!
Sum up Hay Festival Global in five words or less…
Books. Borders. Belonging. Hiraeth.