hayfestival 2012 cover 11/4/12 12:27 Page 1 hayfestival 2012 cover 11/4/12 12:27 Page 2 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 1 01497 822 629 hayfestival.org hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 2 Welcome to Hay IMAGINE THE WORLD But here’s the thing that I think I’ve I think it was always about the craic. learned about writers appearing in person I can remember a bunch of us sitting and their appeal. And fundamentally it’s around my mother’s kitchen table, about the nature of what they do. The twenty-five-and-a-bit years ago, and my thing about writers and particularly father talking about poetry and ideas and novelists is the alluring mystery of them music. I can remember dreaming about being unknown and unreal. Partly, of meeting heroes and changing minds. And course, it’s that they’re disembodied my mother said - ‘it’s got to be a party’. names or initials on a paper spine. More And it’s been a blast. What a ridiculously than that, it is the fact they operate in lucky, happy journey. the world of fiction – in the space between reality and dreaming. They I’ve always been fascinated in why people imagine the world not how it is, but like to meet writers. There’s an element of how it might be if you were released from straight celebrity. It’s fun meeting an iconic being you. They reconnect you with the star whose voice you know and whose fantastical world of imagination that is music and lyrics have rocked your world. the greatest gift of being a child. And in And it’s thrilling to have deeper and more remaking the world they make a case for wide-ranging conversations with frontline human rights, not just the legal rights journalists and commentators than the but the rights to live and love and die media normally allows. Those are all in freedom. Especially if it is the freedom variants of familiarity and the real world. of the imagination. And it’s helped by the fact that people who are good with words are often very funny, Anyway, there’s some other stuff you as if wit was the highest form of verbal need to know. skill and play. There’s an element too of homage and CLASSICS 2012 guru-like devotion. It seems to me there’s We are saluting the London Olympics a direct correlation between the passion with a decathlon celebration of classical with which you want to meet someone Greek Culture, which ranges from and the degree to which that person may Homer and Herodotus to sexuality, have changed your life. Book writers drama and democracy. I think I realise communicate on an intensely personal now that this is probably the model for and intimate level with their readers. the whole festival. The aspiration to Many of us have been liberated by books, imagine the world by engaging culture, been recognised and enlightened, and the politics, science and society is what we writer has created that revolution in our all share today. lives. That’s an amazing bond and one that creates a very special relationship. 2 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 3 01497 822 629 hayfestival.org THE HAY MEDALS HAY & YOU And in another Olympic homage we This is a wonderful town, and a town are introducing this year three specially that loves to welcome guests, friends and commissioned 25th anniversary medals to families. Please support our shops and be awarded for poetry, prose and drama. businesses while you’re here and help preserve the independent culture of this THE SOUND CASTLE community. Thank you for coming. We’re delighted to be back at Hay Castle Happy Hay 25. with a phenomenal new music stage that will become the festival Club in the evenings. The vibrant and spectacular programme mixes funk, gospel, soul, folk, hip-hop, electronica, and jazz. Peter Florence The venue has a raised seating arrangement and is adaptable to cabaret style seating or a dancefloor. CONTENTS FESTIVAL FLAVOUR Events We are thrilled to be sharing our 7 anniversary with our friends at Hay Fever Shepherds, who have created a special 69 ‘Blackcurrant Champagne’ Festival Ice Cream flavour for us. Having had regular hf2 for teens tastings over several months we can 81 confirm it is scrumptious. Soundcastle 83 DEDICATION Onsite extras Thousands of people all around the 97 world make the Hay Festival what it is. Maps But there are two men who defined what 102 it might be more powerfully than anyone else, and this anniversary festival is Travel dedicated to them. The first is Norman 104 Florence, who loved this town, who Index dreamed this festival up and wrangled it 106 into being. The second is Christopher Hitchens, who never took yes for an Booking info answer, and who revelled in language and 112 conversation. Present friends. Always. 3 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 4 TITLE SPONSOR BROADCAST SPONSOR GLOBAL PARTNERS VENUE SPONSORS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTERS Embassy of Colombia Republic of Colombia INTERNATIONAL SUPPORTERS 4 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 5 01497 822 629 hayfestival.org HAY FEVER SUPPORTERS HAY ON EARTH SPONSORS PROJECT PARTNERS FESTIVAL BOOKSHOP MASTERCLASS SPONSOR PROJECT PARTNERS TRANSPORT SPONSORS 5 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 6 Supported by PROJECT PARTNERS KEY LOCATIONS Most venues are on the Festival Site on Brecon Road, and are no more than 2 minutes walk from each other. St Mary’s Church is behind the Swan Hotel, The Bookshop Cinema is situated at Richard Booth’s Bookshop, just up from the Clocktower. The Sound Castle is at Hay Castle, accessed from Oxford Road. There are pedicabs and a shuttle bus running throughout the day. It’s a ten-minute walk. HAY FEVER EVENTS Children’s and Families events are registered in the main listings. Please consult the Hay fever Section starting on SERIES SPONSOR page 69 for full event copy. THE SOUND CASTLE Full listings for new music stage start on page 83. DURATION Most ‘talk’ events onsite last between 50 and 65 minutes and are followed by booksignings. Concerts and comedy shows last 70-90 minutes. ACCOUNTANTS PUNCTUALITY We try to start all events on time. Doors will open between 5 and 13 minutes before the start time. If you are queuing please talk to the people standing next to you. VENUE CHANGES LEGAL It is sometimes necessary to switch venues. We don’t unless we really need to. Please consult the screens at the festival entrance when you arrive and in each of the venues on the pre-show roll for updated news. CERTIFICATION We don’t impose age restrictions, although a standard watershed of 9pm for anyone of primary school age is advised. Many comedy performances may not be suitable for anyone easily offended. FUNDING PARTNERS CHARITY PARTNERS We work with a number of local and global charity partners: Amnesty International, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Brecon Samaritans, Concern Universal, Hay Humanitarian Aid, Macmillan Cancer Support, Oxfam, SOS Sahel, and Medics4Timbuktu. We also raise money for local schools and libraries. There are occasionally collections after certain sessions. PHOTOGRAPHS The photographs in the brochure were taken last year at Hay by Finn Beales, Marsha Arnold, Jeff Morgan and Michaela Rogers All details are correct at time of going to press. 6 hayfest 2012 11/4/12 11:55 Page 7 01497 822 629 Thursday 31 May hayfestival.org 10am 2.30pm 10AM LLWYFAN CYMRU – WALES STAGE [4] 2.30PM DIGITAL STAGE £5.25 FREE BUT TICKETED Ed Gillespie, Steve Colling and Thursday 31 May Hay Fever presents Ackroyd & Harvey Programme for Schools – Primary The Art Response – The 25th anniversary festival begins with two days of Five images to change the world free events for schools aimed at complementing From baby seals to flooding devastation, has the use curriculum work, funded by the Headley Trust. of dramatic imagery lost its potency to inform the Schools join writers including Marcus Alexander, climate change debate? Despite our short attention James Mayhew, The Etherington Brothers, span, can an incredible image in our increasingly Michael Rosen and Mitchell Symons. Full details of visual world still make an impact? this year’s programme at hayfestival.org/schools. 4pm 11.30am [5] 4PM DIGITAL STAGE £5.25 [1] 11.30AM-6.30PM DIGITAL STAGE £20.25 Molly Scott Cato and Brian Davey Hay on Earth Forum talk to Jane Davidson Hay on Earth is the festival’s ongoing sustainability Social Justice and Climate Change project and is part of our programme of managing Climate change has the greatest impact on people and mitigating our environmental impacts, and places facing poverty. But there are real particularly as we stage more festivals around the opportunities to develop policies and practices to world. The project has been running for six years. narrow the gap. Please join us. Full day ticket allows entry to all 6 sessions. Events 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. 5.30pm [2] 11.30AM DIGITAL STAGE £5.25 [6] 5.30PM DIGITAL STAGE £5.25 Ben Law talks to Andy Fryers Safia Minney and Steve Trent Green Architecture Fashion Activism The increasing costs of resources and knowledge Fashion is seldom included in debates on about their use and impacts have led to dramatic sustainability, yet highlighting the sourcing of 5.30pm 11.30am improvements in sustainable building. The specialist fabric, design of garments and working conditions eco-builder, voted most popular participant in could drive change within the industry, so raising Grand Designs, in conversation with the Hay on consumer awareness is key.