Hay on wild as bookworms give stage to Stormzy
Rapper to join poets, writers and politicians as director wants to make people ‘look again’ at literature jamboree
STORMZY is headlining a festival this summer. Nothing unusual about that, except he’ll be sharing the bill with Margaret Atwood, Julia Donaldson and a discussion about the landscapes of early medieval Britain.
The Croydon rapper is the star signing at this year’s Hay Festival, which has undergone a reinvention.
You can also catch the pop star Dua Lipa, as Craig David recounts the highs and lows of his musical career.
Is this a better line-up than Glastonbury? And will Stormzy be gazing out at a bemused audience of sixty-somethings in walking boots and sensible rainwear? The festival’s new look is the
brainchild of Julie Finch, Hay’s chief executive, who joined last summer with a plan to make the festival more diverse.
“We’re hoping names such as Stormzy and Dua Lipa make people look again at Hay, and that’s definitely the reaction we want,” she says.
Stormzy will chat about his #Merky
Books imprint, which he launched five years ago to publish books that “own and change the mainstream”. Dua Lipa will be recording a live session of her podcast.
Stormzy “jumped at the chance” to appear, says Finch. “He definitely saw the opportunity as an important one. So obviously we’re thrilled, because he’s someone unexpected.”
For his part, Stormzy says: “As a kid in school, I fell in love with literature and it sparked a life-long journey with words and writing, which led into my career as a songwriter and a musician. I’m really excited to pass on this passion at Hay Festival, celebrate our incredible #Merky Books writers, and inspire the next generation of storytellers. Can’t wait to see you guys there.”
Stormzy’s session, along with select others, will be streamed online for those who don’t want to or can’t afford to make the trek to the festival in Powys, Wales.
Finch believes literary festivals should be for everyone, and yet it’s undeniable that the audience at Hay is overwhelmingly white, middle-aged and middle class.
“It’s about everyone who comes to
Hay feeling like it’s a place for them,” says Finch, who came from an arts and museums background.
“Our responsibility is to the widest demographic possible and we’ve just got to work harder at that. It’s about the perception of what a literature festival is, and we have to break down those barriers so people begin to see what we do as something different.”
She is thinking of ways to make the site itself more welcoming. Each year, a small tented city springs up in a field on the outskirts of Hay. “Whether it’s the publishers representing new and more diverse writers, whether it’s the type of food on offer, whether there’s a prayer room – there’s a long list in terms of the physicality of the experience,” she says.
“The other side of that, which is critical, is finding out what people are interested in and developing relationships over months and years rather than just presuming – which a lot of institutions do – that if we programme someone who’s not white, that means someone will go, ‘Oh, that’s the place for me’. Which is just wrong – that doesn’t happen.
“I’m also aware that some literature festivals can be incredibly highbrow. It’s similar to museums, where you have to get people to walk over the threshold. This year is a transition year. I recognise that this change doesn’t happen overnight, but give me three years and let’s see where we are.” Away from the headline acts, Hay regulars can be reassured that the line-up is not vastly different to what has gone before. Guests will be able to step from Stormzy’s talk to events ranging from food security and maths to the cultural impact of Welsh literature. You can listen to the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage or discussions about the environment, economics, and philosophy.
Hay distinguishes itself as being a
“festival of ideas” rather than one focused on literature, although there are popular writers on the bill from May 25-June 4; Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Elif Shafak and Jonathan Coe, among others. There will be talks on food by Prue Leith and Ruth Rogers, Tracey Emin will discuss art, and there will be appearances by Bear Grylls, Ranulph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter.
The festival has always had a Left-wing reputation, although its audience is not necessarily so; when Jeremy Hunt was given a hard time on stage last year, his interrogator was shouted down and Hunt was applauded. This year appears to be a Tory-free zone, with speakers including Sadiq Khan, Alastair Campbell and Jon Snow. Finch insists that Tories are welcome: “We want to represent a balance of opinions and it’s important to not look too far one way or the other,” she says.