Join Us At Hay Festival
We are so excited to announce that the Service95 Book Club will be at the 2024 Hay Festival in Wales, from 23 May to 2 June. With 11 days packed full of author events and performances, there is something for everyone. We will be there throughout, soaking up the atmosphere and listening to some of our favourite authors telling the real story of what goes into creating their greatest works.
We are delighted to be partnering on a selection of sessions with some of our favourite writers at the festival, from a panel discussing the eternal appeal of James Baldwin to a talk with breakout Spanish writer Alana Portero. Discover the full line-up below – come and join us!
A Spell Of Good Things – A Conversation With Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
Monday 27 May, 7pm – Meadow Stage
Hear Nigerian author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ talk about her latest book, A Spell Of Good Things, which was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. A poignant narration on the class divide in Nigeria, the novel follows two Nigerian families caught in the web of wealth, power, romance and corruption. Eniola spends his days running errands for a local tailor, begging and doing whatever he can to survive while supporting his father, who has lost his job. Meanwhile, Wuraola never knew poverty, growing up in wealth and working her first year as a doctor while being the love interest of the explosive son of a family friend. When violence arises at a family party, the two worlds collide. A new star on the literary scene, this one is not to be missed.
Making Music, Making History – Jeffrey Boakye, George The Poet And Aleema Gray In Conversation With Mykaell Riley
Tuesday 28 May, 1pm – Discovery Stage
A conversation on the legacy and history of Black Music in the UK: the expert panel will draw from personal experience to examine how Black music has been used as a political force and look at six centuries of African music’s contribution to the world. The panel includes George The Poet, author of Track Record: Me, Music And The War On Blackness; Dr Aleema Gray and Dr Mykaell Riley, curators of the exhibition Beyond The Bassline: Black British Music at the British Library; and Jeffrey Boayke, author of I Heard What You Said.
James Baldwin: Still Resonating – With Paul Mendez, Irenosen Okojie, David Olusoga And Colm Tóibín
Tuesday 28 May, 4pm – Global Stage
The iconic author James Baldwin has often been called one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, and his writing still resonates strongly with readers today. But what makes Baldwin so appealing? And what makes his story of growing up in poverty in Harlem, as a Black gay man, so relevant to the modern reader? An expert panel – including historian David Olusoga and authors Paul Mendez, Irenosen Okojie and Colm Tóibín – discuss his life, work and the legacy it has left for the contemporary reader.
My Friends – Hisham Matar Talks To Charlotte Higgins
Sunday 2 June, 10am – Discovery Stage
Libyan-American writer Hisham Matar has provided a voice for the Libyan experience, and his new book is no exception. My Friends is a reflection on exile and Libya’s recent history. Set in 1984, it follows Khaled and Mustafa, two Libyan students in political exile in the UK, as they try to navigate the aftermath of the shooting of protestors outside the London Libyan embassy. Matar will discuss his new novel with The Guardian’s chief culture writer, Charlotte Higgins.
The Queer Experience – Chris Bryant, Kenny Ethan Jones, Wendy Moore And Alana S Portero In Conversation
Wednesday 29 May, 4pm – Discovery Stage
From a historical novel to a manifesto, four authors will reflect on their work depicting the queer experience. Chris Bryant, the first Gay MP to celebrate civil partnership in the Palace of Westminster, talks about his historical novel James And John, a social history depicting what it was like to be gay in the early 19th century. Kenny Ethan Jones will discuss his book Dear Cisgender People, which provides a guide for cisgender people on how to become better allies. Wendy Moore will explain how Jack And Eve tells the real story of two women who were public faces of the suffragette movement: a jobbing actress who became Emmeline Pankhurst’s chauffeur and mechanic, and the daughter of a Scottish baron. Lastly, Alana S Portero, the Spanish writer, poet and transgender activist, will talk about her novel Bad Habit – a book about growing up transgender in 1980s Spain.
View the full programme and buy your tickets here
Jamie Styles is Digital Editorial Assistant at Service95
