Workshop 1 – Writing Historical Fiction

Here’s a last minute shout out for our Writing Historical Fiction workshop taking place Thursday 20th April – tomorrow – 11.30am-4pm. We are once again delighted to have Alan Bilton taking the lead at the inspirational location of The Threshing Barn Llwyn Celyn Cwmyoy Abergavenny. Tickets are £10 each available via Eventbrite (Click Here)

Please take a packed lunch and writing tools – parking available on site.

Alan Bilton teaches Creative Writing, Literature and Film at Swansea University. He is the author of three novels, The Sleepwalkers’ Ball (2009), The Known and Unknown Sea (2014) and The End of The Yellow House (2020), as well as a collection of short stories, Anywhere Out of the World (2016), and books on silent film, American fiction, and the 1920s. He was a jury member for the Dylan Thomas International Prize in 2022, and has appeared at the Hay, Edinburgh and Cheltenham Literary Festivals. 

Workshop 2 – Poetry

We are thrilled to announce details of a new workshop taking place in May led by prize winning poet, Alex Josephy.

The Narrow Room: Form and Freedom in Poetry will take place on Tuesday, 16 May 2023 13:30 – 16:30 in our very own Hay-on-Wye Library. This workshop is free to members and those who entered our 2023 poetry competition. £5 for guests. Tickets will be available from 20/04/2023 via eventbrite – CLICK HERE

Inspired by Wordsworth’s poem “Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room” Alex Josephy will explore form and freedom in poetry.

This short informal workshop is for anyone who writes, or would like to write poetry. It will be practical and joyous. There will be opportunity to learn about Alex’s approach to poetry as well as the chance to try out some techniques for yourself.

The winners of The Hay Writers’ Circle annual Poetry Prize for 2023, where Alex was judge, will also be announced.

Alex Josephy lives in Rye, East Sussex, and sometimes in Italy. She has been a reader and writer of poetry all her life, and has an MA in Creative and Life Writing from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has worked as a teacher and university lecturer and as an NHS education adviser. Winner of the Cinnamon Press Pamphlet Award 2022 with Again behold the stars. Her most recent collection is Naked Since Faversham, Pindrop Press, 2020. Other work includes White Roads, Paekakariki Press, 2018, and Other Blackbirds, Cinnamon Press, 2016. Her poems have won the McLellan and Battered Moons prizes, and have appeared in magazines and anthologies in the UK, Italy and India.
You can find out more on her website: www.alexjosephy.net

Event – HAY FESTIVAL 2023!

It’s that fabulous time of year again where all literary eyes turn towards Hay Festival. As ever the programme is vast, inclusive, and let’s face it, pretty amazing. If you want to check it out for yourself head over the the main Hay Festival website by CLICKING HERE . Tickets are going fast, so make sure you don’t delay!

Hay Writers’ Circle is extremely grateful to the Hay Festival for it’s continued, unwavering support of our writing group and the amazing opportunity to share some of our recent writings with the festival crowd.

We have a growing number of talented authors in our group and those performing at this year’s festival will be showcasing a variety of exciting new works including short stories, poetry and extracts from newly published books. We are positive you will want to be there to enjoy their stirring creations.

Event number 230 – Wednesday 31st May 8.30pm.

CLICK HERE to book your ticket for our event from the Hay Festival box office.

To listen to a selection of our previous performances, why not subscribe to Hay Player and get access to a catalogue of audio and video recordings from Hay Festival.

We hope to see you there! 🙂