Independent’s Day at Hay

On Friday 31 May, I attended a reading as a part of the ‘Independent’s Day at Hay’ event, a fringe event held in Hay-on-Wye during the running of the main festival.

The event showcased a number of writers of all genres, who have all been published independently. The readings varied from film fiction and thrillers, to non-fiction accounts of place, people and the past. My contribution was to read some poetry, from my debut collection, Bella.

As well as reading a selection of poems from the book, I also gave a small presentation on my research and the study I made into poetry as investigation. The session culminated in a question and answer session, where members of the audience prompted interesting discussions into the mystery, the poetry, and the writing process.

If you would like to see the presentation I gave, you can download a copy of the powerpoint below.

‘Independents Day at Hay’ was a lovely event, in the picturesque town of Hay-on-Wye. Separate to the main festival, it was still surrounded by the buzz of book-lovers who flock to the town year on year. The venue – The Globe at Hay – was wonderful: a modern event space, cafe, and restaurant inside an old chapel.

I would like the thank the organisers, Robert and Val Ronsson and Bruce Johns, for inviting me, and for planning and hosting such a great event. It was a pleasure and an honour to read at this Hay fringe festival event.