Hay-on-Wye? Is that some kind of sandwich?
Hey guys!
Haye-on-Wye was amazing! There were all these famous authors and journalists everywhere, and I heard these great authors speak! And I got loads of cool stuff!
Let's break it down - and if anyone else is now hearing bad 90s rap in their heads, you're not the only ones.
The Events
I saw John Boyn speak - the author of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, this completely amazing story. We heard him talk about the process of turning it into a film, and saw bits of the film - which almost no one else has done. And the producer was there. Mark Hayman, who produced Harry Potters, and was by far the sexiest man there. John Boyn's completely bald, he's like a slimmer, amazing-books-producing Matt Lucas.
I also went to a debate on the Internet - mob mentality or people power? I went in thinking of all the wank, and the dogpiling, and the self-righteousness I keep seeing, as well as the flat-out craziness. But every time the 'mob mentality' guy spoke I wanted to yell that it wasn't like that, and he didn't get it, and didn't he know about the emotional connections, and sense of community, and amazing intelligent insightful people, and that Anonymous thugs aren't respected? I went out full of love for you guys, and the Open Source Movement, and this whole crazy interwebs thing. *wells up* And then I felt silly.
I also went to a 'Teens' event, considering my original writing is usually for them. It wasn't bad, but Louise Renison - author of Angus, Thongs, and Full-Front Snogging - is funny but not hugely interesting, and her books are clearly thinly-veiled autobiographies. The discussion of content and taboo was predictable - we put in what's needed - but not useless.
I saw Omid Dijilali do stand-up! That was one of the most fun things I did. He's a hilarious comedian who's pretty big in this country (UK flisters - he's a regular on Have I Got News For You) and his jabs at the middle-class, white intellectual audience were spot-on.
Best of all was Eoin Colfer. He wrote the Artemis Fowl books, a bestselling series about snarky technological fairies, which everyone should read. His most recent book is Airman, a historical about a boy who's part of the race to build a flying machine, so he told us a bunch of hilarious stories about his attempts at flying as a kid. It was very Irish, actually: every answer to a question or aside in a speech was the chance to tell a slightly embellished, funny story. Airman is great, incidentally - as fast-paced as all his books are, and every single character is swashbuckling.
Everything Else
I wandered around Hay. This was great fun but lethal to my bank-balance; discovering a shop devoted to second-hand children's books didn't help. I have 37 new books from those three days, but even that involved resisting temptation!
I also have a bookmark made of sheep poo, a sweatshirt with an Arthur Miller quote on it - very expensive, but desperately needed in the cold - a bottle of Merlin Bailey's, and two new badges - She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain, and Some say life is the thing, but I prefer reading.
The weather was indelibly Welsh: non-stop raining and a lot of mud. The raining brought the rats out, but there were foxes and badgers and bunnies around too, so I guess it was worth it. It's been absolutely disgusting weather here in the UK lately.
If anybody wants a Hay postcard, you can have one. Comments are screened so you can give an address.
I am so glad I went, even though I'll undoubtedly be thrown in debtors' prison. It'll be a fitting end for a writer. Hello, Mr Dickens.
Haye-on-Wye was amazing! There were all these famous authors and journalists everywhere, and I heard these great authors speak! And I got loads of cool stuff!
Let's break it down - and if anyone else is now hearing bad 90s rap in their heads, you're not the only ones.
The Events
I saw John Boyn speak - the author of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, this completely amazing story. We heard him talk about the process of turning it into a film, and saw bits of the film - which almost no one else has done. And the producer was there. Mark Hayman, who produced Harry Potters, and was by far the sexiest man there. John Boyn's completely bald, he's like a slimmer, amazing-books-producing Matt Lucas.
I also went to a debate on the Internet - mob mentality or people power? I went in thinking of all the wank, and the dogpiling, and the self-righteousness I keep seeing, as well as the flat-out craziness. But every time the 'mob mentality' guy spoke I wanted to yell that it wasn't like that, and he didn't get it, and didn't he know about the emotional connections, and sense of community, and amazing intelligent insightful people, and that Anonymous thugs aren't respected? I went out full of love for you guys, and the Open Source Movement, and this whole crazy interwebs thing. *wells up* And then I felt silly.
I also went to a 'Teens' event, considering my original writing is usually for them. It wasn't bad, but Louise Renison - author of Angus, Thongs, and Full-Front Snogging - is funny but not hugely interesting, and her books are clearly thinly-veiled autobiographies. The discussion of content and taboo was predictable - we put in what's needed - but not useless.
I saw Omid Dijilali do stand-up! That was one of the most fun things I did. He's a hilarious comedian who's pretty big in this country (UK flisters - he's a regular on Have I Got News For You) and his jabs at the middle-class, white intellectual audience were spot-on.
Best of all was Eoin Colfer. He wrote the Artemis Fowl books, a bestselling series about snarky technological fairies, which everyone should read. His most recent book is Airman, a historical about a boy who's part of the race to build a flying machine, so he told us a bunch of hilarious stories about his attempts at flying as a kid. It was very Irish, actually: every answer to a question or aside in a speech was the chance to tell a slightly embellished, funny story. Airman is great, incidentally - as fast-paced as all his books are, and every single character is swashbuckling.
Everything Else
I wandered around Hay. This was great fun but lethal to my bank-balance; discovering a shop devoted to second-hand children's books didn't help. I have 37 new books from those three days, but even that involved resisting temptation!
I also have a bookmark made of sheep poo, a sweatshirt with an Arthur Miller quote on it - very expensive, but desperately needed in the cold - a bottle of Merlin Bailey's, and two new badges - She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain, and Some say life is the thing, but I prefer reading.
The weather was indelibly Welsh: non-stop raining and a lot of mud. The raining brought the rats out, but there were foxes and badgers and bunnies around too, so I guess it was worth it. It's been absolutely disgusting weather here in the UK lately.
If anybody wants a Hay postcard, you can have one. Comments are screened so you can give an address.
I am so glad I went, even though I'll undoubtedly be thrown in debtors' prison. It'll be a fitting end for a writer. Hello, Mr Dickens.