Category Archives: Uncategorized
Hay Festival 2026, Holly Müller Writing Workshop Reminder, The Richard Booth Prize for Non-Fiction Competition, and Illustrator Opportunity!
The sun certainly shone brightly on Hay Festival 2026 and glorious amounts of book fiends descended to on our border town to fill their bibliographical hearts full of wonder, delight, and books, books, books! This year book sales were up and so was festival attendance too. This all bodes well for next year as the festival celebrates it’s 40th year. … Continue reading
Make Hay Festival while the Sun Shines, More Poetry Competition Results, and Creative Writing Workshop Reminder.
The sunshine has really welcomed the crowds to Hay Festival 2026. Glorious bright days and sultry evenings are thronged with book readers, book bearers and every manner of literary lover. All are intent of meeting their author idols, soaking up the heady festival atmosphere, or strolling the short walk into town for a Castle visit, ice creams, boutiques, pubs, cafes and even more excellent book shops. Many meander back to the festival site via the Warren Walk, taking in the lush views of the River Wye. Yes, Hay is at it’s best and everyone is enjoying it… Continue reading
2026 Poetry Competition – Winner Announced!
We are thrilled to announce the results of the Hay Writers’ Circle Poetry Competition, 2026.
This every popular competition received a good number of entries from both inside and outside Hay Writers’ Circle and we very much welcome all external interest in our writing competitions.
We must firstly take a moment to thank our amazing 2026 Poetry Judge, Lesley Saunders, who has read all the entrees and whittled them down to our ultimate set of prize winning poems… Continue reading
Richard Booth Prize for Non-Fiction 2026 OPEN, Book Review on “The Book Seller of Hay”, Hay Festival Reminder, and a Poem from the HWC Archives.
Submissions are now invited for our annual Non-Fiction Competition, The Richard Booth Prize 2026, named after one of Hay-on-Wye’s most notable residents and it’s self proclaimed ‘King of Hay’. Richard was always a great supporter of books, Hay-on-Wye and of course, local writers… Continue reading
Workshops, Poetry Competition, and our latest Fiction Competition Winner!
Over the next few months we have two exciting writing workshops which anyone can attend (pre-booking essential)… Continue reading
Kington Writer wins Frances Copping Prize, plus New Poetry Workshop Announced
We are excited to announce the results of our Frances Copping Memorial Prize for Fiction Competition, named in fond remembrance of our Lifetime President who sadly passed away in 2020.
This popular competition again received a good number of entries from both inside and outside Hay Writers’ Circle and we very much welcome external interest in all our writing competitions. Continue reading
Tam Allen’s Book Launch Success, A Writing Exercise with Responses, and Hay Festival 2026
Congratulations to new HWC member, Tam Allen, on the recent launch of her poetry book, “Roots”, published by The Conrad Press. Tam’s poems celebrate the strength found in vulnerability and the courage to face the challenges life brings. They are heartfelt and deeply moving. Her poems deal with her own experiences of loss, grief, healing and the profound acceptance which comes from adversity. Each piece is beautifully illustrated by Sion Rees… Continue reading
New Poetry Publication “Roots” by Tam Allen now available, plus other news.
Recently we were delighted to welcome Tammy Allen to our group. Tam is a dedicated Mental Health Counsellor from the Swansea Valley. She has recently had a book of poems published by The Conrad Press. Tam’s poems deal with her own experiences of loss, grief, healing and the profound acceptance which comes from adversity. Each piece is beautifully illustrated by Sion Rees. Her poems celebrate the strength found in vulnerability and the courage to face the challenges life brings. They are heartfelt and deeply moving. Tam hopes that her words will help her readers to connect with their own stories and discover their innate resilience… Continue reading
**STOP PRESS** 2026 HWC Poetry Competition now OPEN and Judge Announced
Submissions are now invited for the annual Hay Writers’ Circle Poetry Competition, and we are thrilled to announce the judge for 2026 is the wonderful Lesley Saunders. The theme this year is entirely open and we hope to receive a wide variety of poems and poetry styles for this competition. The first prize winner will receive £100 prize money, with cash prizes for 2nd and 3rd placed poems… Continue reading