This year’s Hay Festival brings writers and readers together once again to share stories and ideas that inspire, examine and entertain. Now in its 28th year, the 2015 programme spans 11 days with over 700 events, blending expert thinkers, world class writers, and award winning entertainers from the stage and screen.
Director of Hay Festival, Peter Florence, said: “The festival comes a fortnight after the election. We don't have a manifesto; we have a thousand stories. We want to talk about a new beginning and dream about what the future might be, and be inspired to make those changes ourselves.”
Diverse, pertinent and illuminating, the 2015 Hay Festival programme includes:
Magna Carta 800 – What do we want?
800 years on from the creation of the Magna Carta and in the wake of a hotly contested British election, a special series of events invites experts and audiences to reimagine the world in the strand Magna Carta 800 – What Do We Want? Spotlighting the biggest issues affecting us today – from equality and the law, to politics and fairer farming – the nine events look at how we would redesign our society if offered a blank slate, with speakers including: Hay Festival President Stephen Fry; founder of the Everyday Sexism project Laura Bates; writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig; and internationally acclaimed jurists Igor Judge, Helena Kennedy, Thomas Buergenthal, Brian Leveson, Philippe Sands and Richard Goldstone. Speakers will address what we want from a free press, equality and democracy, while inviting HayMakers to pitch in ideas for a new charter.
Literature
Leading the fiction programme is a host of renowned authors representing a cross section of world fiction. Kazuo Ishiguro, David Mitchell, Graham Swift, Irvine Welsh, Rose Tremain, Elif Shafak, Alexander McCall Smith, Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín and Marian Keyes will discuss their latest works, while Neil Gaiman pays tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett. Rising stars sit alongside established talents, as Jessie Burton offers insight into her multi-award-winning debut, The Miniaturist; Polly Samson discusses her second novel The Kindness; and Sarah Winman introduces A Year of Marvellous Ways. Nadifa Mohammed and Zukiswa Wanner represent Africa39, a Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club Project celebrating 39 of the best African south of the Sahara writers under 40. Meanwhile, Brenda Lozano, Daniel Saldaña París, and Laia Jufresa represent México20, a Hay project promoting new voices in Mexican literature as part of the Year of Mexico in the UK and the Year of the UK in Mexico, 2015 celebration.
There will also be talks on:
Religion by Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor , Abdel Bari Atwan, the Palestinian editor of Rai al-Youm, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and former Roman Catholic nun Karen Armstrong. Global Affairs by Galina Timchenko, Camila Batmanghelidjh, Helena Kennedy QC and the UK’s Deputy Commissioner for Children’s Services, Sue Berelowitz. UK Today by Tim Parker, Mary Portas, ex-advisor to David Cameron Steve Hilton, and Alex Salmond. Other strands include: Science and Health, Environment and Nature, Art, Fashion and Photography, Comedy and Music.
Hay Fever, the festival's programme for children and families, is back with a feel-good line-up to make children of all ages smile. The programme’s variety reaches new heights with cartooning, comedy, illustrating, model making, sleepovers, comic-making workshops, spectacular young adult fiction discussions and more. With hundreds of events and activities, children and adults alike can enjoy the summer half-term with treasured favourites like Jacqueline Wilson and Liz Pichon (sponsored by Lovereading4kids) or discover fabulous YA stars like New York Times bestseller Sarah J Maas, over from the US to launch her new series.
There will be events to celebrate the 800 year anniversary of the Magna Carta and 150 years since the publication of Alice in Wonderland. Highlights for family audiences’ will include activity workshops like ‘Drawing Favourite Characters’ or ‘Easy Chinese Workshops’; while the fabulous Chris Riddell will be live drawing and Cressida Cowell talks How To Train Your Dragon. Michael Morpurgo is joined by actress Alison Reid, violinist Daniel Pioro and The Storyteller’s Ensemble (a quartet of strings) to interweave words and music in ‘The Mozart Question Concert’ – a great event for all the family. Children can learn how to make awesome comics with Neill Cameron, the very artist who illustrated some of The Phoenix’s best-loved comics. Not to mention appearances by a spectacular line-up of well-loved authors including; Neil Gaiman, Frank Cottrell Boyce and John Boyne. Picture book loving families can look forward to meeting their favourite illustrators; Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Winner Rob Biddulph, twice winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Emily Gravett, Chris Haughton, Ed Vere and a host of much loved characters (Peter Rabbit, Topsy and Tim and Spot to mention a few).
For older readers the #HayYA programme truly has something for everyone. Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman's YA panel includes ‘Queen of Teen’ winner James Dawson. Bestselling creator of Geek Girl, Holly Smale is back, as is spoken word artist Steven Camden. Whether you like to immerse yourself in romantic fantasy adventure, dystopian trilogies, emotional rollercoasters or prefer a quieter, thought-provoking literary experience – you'll find it all at #HayYA.
Lovereading4kids is proud to be sponsoring a number of events in the Hay Fever programme. Come and visit us in our very own Lovereading4kids Browse-a-Book Zone in the Make and Take Tent.
The full festival programme is available to view at www.hayfestival.org
Photo Credits: Finn Beales
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