British Council at Hay Festival 2026

Selma Dabbagh and Elisa Díaz Castelo talk to Gaby Wood

14:30 – St Mary’s Church

Can the past live inside us, even if we have no knowledge of it? British-Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh and Mexican poet, author and translator Elisa Díaz Castelo discuss violence, collective trauma and literary inspiration, led by the chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood.

Renato Cisneros and Philippe Sands talk to Sophie Hughes

19:00 – Spring Stage

A captivating conversation between writers Renato Cisneros (Peru) and Philippe Sands (UK) on family, memory and history, asking the question – how much are our private lives shaped by political and historical forces?

Brenda Navarro and Mónica Ojeda talk to Chris Power

17:30 – Exchange Marquee

Feel the power of two stories from South America as award-winning Mexican author Brenda Navarro and acclaimed Ecuadorian storyteller Mónica Ojeda discuss kinship, memory and survival in the face of collective trauma.

How to Build a Library: Maia Lekow and Angela Wachuka talk to Kitty Corrigan

13:00–15:00 – St Mary’s Church

Premièred at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, How to Build a Library takes us to Nairobi to witness how two Black women tackle the rebuilding of what was until 1958 a whites-only library. The documentary is a fascinating study of colonisation and the power of individual and collective action.

Linda Kamau and Aleks Krotoski talk to Madhumita Murgia

17:30 – Exchange Marquee

Kenyan social entrepreneur Linda Kamau and BBC technology and social science writer and presenter Aleks Krotoski discuss the opportunities and challenges facing women carving careers in technology across Africa.

Nha Thuyên with MontenegroFisher, Wanda O’Connor and Lowri Hedd Vaughan

10:00 – Exchange Marquee

Explore poetic encounters between Vietnam and Wales with an hour of visceral performance and poetry. Led by Vietnamese poet Nha Thuyên, this event showcases an artistic exploration of two rivers – the Red River, which runs through Vietnam, and the River Wye, which runs through Wales.

A Literature Across Frontiers project supported by the British Council.

Cristina Bendek and Shon Faye talk to Georgina Godwin

16:00 – Meadow Stage

Community, culture and compassion are at the heart of this discussion between Colombian writer Cristina Bendek and British author Shon Faye, in conversation with broadcaster Georgina Godwin. They convene as part of the Literary Pairs series from Hay Festival and the British Council, which brings together writers to discuss creativity, partnerships and their latest work.

Santanu Bhattacharya, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Joelle Taylor talk to Carys Eleri

13:00 – Spring Stage

From Sappho to Virginia Woolf and James Baldwin, LGBTQ+ writers have told their stories throughout history – excavating the queer experience and laying a foundation for the writers of today, Santanu Bhattacharya, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Joelle Taylor talk to actor and writer Carys Eleri about the stories that shaped them, finding (or not finding) themselves in the characters they came across growing up, and their journeys to writing.

Liliana Colanzi and Hanna Limulja talk to Polly Russell

14:30 – St Mary’s Church

How can ancient cultures open up our senses and help us dream of a better collective future? Bringing together ideas, traditions and perspectives from indigenous cultures, Brazilian anthropologist Hanna Limulja considers how dreaming is a form of indigenous resistance and hope while Bolivian writer Liliana Colanzi reflects on how environmental devastation and neoliberal violence threaten to create a dreamless future.

Milton Hatoum talks to Ángel Gurría-Quintana

5.30pm – Spring Stage

Since the 1980s, Brazilian writer Milton Hatoum has depicted a hauntingly accurate pattern: the rise-and-fall cycle of Northern empires, endlessly repeating itself every few decades. In this event, Hatoum explores themes that have helped him find his own creative voice, including memory, democracy and the role that time and literature play in reshaping our common knowledge of history.

Film Screening introduced by the Brazilian Ambassador to the UK

19:00–22:00 – MUBI Cinema

Mendonça Filho’s neo-noir political thriller about a man attempting to flee persecution and resist an authoritarian regime – the film won Mendonça Filho Best Director at Cannes.

Ixta Belfrage and Bel Coelho talk to Polly Russell

17:30 – Meadow Stage

How can we really understand another culture? Through its food, as chefs Ixta Belfrage and Bel Coelho will show you. Come and experience the real Brazil on this culinary journey into the heart of Amazonia.