Tag Archives: life

Richard Booth Prize 2025 – Winners Announced.

Posted on October 12, 2025 by thehaywriters

We are delighted to begin this week with the results of our annual non-fiction competition.

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.

Our memorial prize, named in tribute to Richard Booth, the self-proclaimed “King of Hay”, who among many literary interests, was a keen supporter of the Hay Writers’ Circle. He sadly passed away in 2019, still in love with books, writers and his beautiful kingdom of Hay-on-Wye… Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Books, Competition results, Creative writing, Dr Alan Bilton, fiction, Gareth Writer-Davies, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, Katy Stones, life, literature, Michelle Pearce, poetry, poetry workshop, Prize Winners, Richard Booth, Richard Booth King of Hay, Richard Booth Prize for Non Fiction, Val Ormrod, writing, Writing Groups. | Leave a comment

Short Story – ‘Wahiba’ by Alan Oberman

Posted on July 25, 2020 by thehaywriters

Wahiba The tiny twin-propeller aircraft hums low over the desert. All is empty, devoid of any object to focus the eye, yet not featureless. Swells and troughs of sand paint a vast abstract canvas where sharp ridges of dune divide … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alan Oberman, Author, desert, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, life, literature, Memoir, memories, Memory, Middle East, non fiction, oil drilling, Oman, short stories, short story, Truth, UAE, Wahiba, Writers, writing | Leave a comment

THE 2020 RICHARD BOOTH MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION – Submissions Invited.

Posted on June 8, 2020 by thehaywriters

THE 2020 RICHARD BOOTH MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION This is an annual non-fiction competition, open to members and non-members of Hay Writers’ Circle. Pieces of 600-1500 words on any non-fiction theme are accepted. Prizes are awarded for first, second and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authors, autobiography, Biography, Books, competition, Hay, Hay Writers Circle, Hay Writers., Hay writing group, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, History, life, literature, non fiction, non fiction competition, Rib Davis, Richard Booth Prize for Non Fiction, script writing, short stories, short story, Short Story Competition, society, The Hay Writers, THE RICHARD BOOTH MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION, Travel, travel writing, writing, writing competition | Leave a comment

Frances Copping – Hay Writers’ Circle Lifetime President 1979-2020

Posted on May 29, 2020 by thehaywriters

Frances Copping – Hay Writers’ Circle President 1979-2020 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our much loved Hay Writers’ Circle President, Frances Copping, who died suddenly. Frances was the founder of the then, Hay and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Books, compost, Family, Frances Copping, Hay, Hay Festival, Hay Festival Digital, Hay Literary Festival, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, History, life, literature, make do and mend, non fiction, obituary, recycle, short stories, society, thrift, waste not want not, Women, writing, Writing Group, Writing Groups. | Leave a comment

Liberation During The Lockdown and Helping Hay Festival

Posted on March 25, 2020 by thehaywriters

Article by E. C. van Woerkom. 25/03/2020. While we all adjust our daily routines in the wake of the Coronavirus’ impact on our lives; talented and industrious creative minds are blooming with ideas to fill our days with reading and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, beating isolation, blog, Books, coronavirus, Creative writing, Creative Writing Workshop, Family, Hay Festival, Hay Literary Festival, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, history writing, journal writing, life, literature, lock-down, non fiction, online writing courses, online writing prompts, online writing workshop, pandemic, poems, poetry, writing, writing workshop | 1 Comment

Why join a writers’ group?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by thehaywriters

Why join a writers’ group? by Marianne Rosen As Hay Festival gets underway and the summer line up of literary festivals spread their temptations before us, there will be many aspiring writers as well as readers traipsing the lawned hallways … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged article, authors, blog, Books, conversation, Hay Festival, Hay Writers Circle, Hay Writers., Hay writing group, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, join a writing group, life, literature, Lynne Trobridge, Marianne Rosen, work in progress, writing, Writing Group, writing groups advice, Writing Groups., writing seriously, writing workshop | Leave a comment

Going Batty by Kerry Hodges

Posted on May 3, 2019 by thehaywriters

Going Batty by Kerry Hodges For the past two springs, I have been host to a battery. “What are you talking about?” I rightly hear you ask. “Finally lost your slippery grip?” Well, no actually, not for the moment anyway … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, bat, bats, british nature, Hay Writers Circle, Hay Writers., Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, Kerry Hodges, life, memior, natural history, nature, Nature Writing, non fiction, short story, Wales, writing | Leave a comment

Short Fiction – “Picky-up Thingy”

Posted on March 31, 2019 by thehaywriters

Picky-up Thingy by Alan Oberman Granny’s got this picky-up thingy. It’s black and silver and when you squeeze a handle at one end, two fingers come together at the other end. Granny can’t bend down because her knees hurt so she … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alan Oberman, child, Creative writing, Family, fiction, flash fiction, food, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, humour, life, short stories, short story, writing | 1 Comment

A Piece for November – ‘Butter’ by Angela Grunsell

Posted on November 4, 2018 by thehaywriters

‘Butter’ by Angela Grunsell QBB read the brand on the label, long before people talked about branding, although they did refer to brands in those days: Marmite, Mc Vities, Manbre and Garton. {The last produced sugar crystal lumps for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Angela Grunsell, Australia, BBQ, Butter Marketing Board, Creative writing, Family, Hay-on-Wye, History, life, literature, Memoir, non fiction, Rationing, short stories, short story, Travel, Vintage Advertising, Vintage Tin, writing, WW1, WW2 | Leave a comment

2018 Fiction Competition – Judge Announced – Sue Limb

Posted on October 21, 2018 by thehaywriters

The Hay Writers’ Circle 2018 Fiction Competition – Judge Announced We are delighted to confirm that the author Sue Limb will be our judge for the 2018 Fiction Competition. Sue Limb. Sue Limb’s professional writing career began immediately after escaping … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, authors, competition, Creative writing, Hay castle trust, Hay-on-Wye, hayonwye, humor, humour, ITV, life, literature, Prize, Prize winning Fiction, prize winning short story, Prize Winning Writing, short stories, Sue Limb, Writers Club, writing, writing competition, Writing Groups. | Leave a comment