Tag Archives: Books
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
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
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
2026 – A Year of Writing and Reading Ahead
It’s 2026! Suddenly we are a dozen days into January, and perhaps still considering a multitude of New Year Writing Resolutions. What shall I write next? What old piece of writing shall I revisit and edit? What writing project will be finished this year?
Of course, if you are writing you must also be reading. In the UK there is a huge drive towards 2026 being the Year Of Reading. Government Departments, Schools, Libraries, Literary Agencies, Trusts and Foundations, as well as Literary Festivals are all doing their part to positively promote the written word, whether in printed or digital formats… Continue reading
Hay Festival Winter Weekend, a Brief Book Review and Competition Reminder
The wonderful Hay-on-Wye Christmas Lights have been switch on and the whole of the town is illuminated with the bright lights of literature, imagination and ideas.
We’ve enjoyed animated discussions, art, storytelling, comedy, music, family workshops, seasonal markets, the splendid Hay Castle and of course, many many bookshops. We’ve queued in the cold, in the darkness, but always warmed by tales from our fellow adventuring companions, many of whom have travelled from afar just for a taste of our home town of Hay. We hope they all had the best time and look forward to seeing them again very soon… Continue reading
Lynn Trowbridge, 102 and still Remarkable. Hay Festival Winter Weekend coming soon and Enter our Fiction Competition 2025
The Remarkable Lynn Trowbridge
by Shane Anderson
Taking on the leadership of any community group, particularly such a well-respected and dynamic one as Hay Writers’ Circle (HWC), is not a task to be taken on lightly. It requires focus, commitment and no small amount of energy. Fortunately for happy foot soldiers like myself, there are those impressive souls who not only enjoy such a challenge but relish it… Continue reading
HWC AGM: Committee Voted In & Members Leaving Us, Plus Richard Booth Prize 2025 – 3rd Place Winner.
HWC AGM 2025
How quickly our writing year is up and running again! Our Annual General Meeting enjoyed not only many positive reports from it’s Committee, but also a number of exciting plans and adaptations for the coming year ahead. All thanks to everyone who brainstormed ideas during our summer blue-sky-meeting.
We are delighted that the following Committee Members have been re-appointed. Continue reading