A Backstage Pass to the Hay Festival...

“Imagine the World” proclaims the Hay Festival strapline. It is an imagination borne out of the writings, thoughts, ideas and philosophies of authors and speakers, which never fails to inspire and entertain. And to provoke thought. One aspect of imagination though which gets little coverage during the event, is the creation of the festival site itself. In the five weeks leading up to the opening, a grassland field is transformed into a tented village, replete with marquees and carpeted boardwalks. Where Friesian cows once grazed, lively audiences now break out into applause and laughter. It is truly a staggering metamorphosis. Passing by the site on a November morning many years ago generated a sense of disbelief, in that a place which had created so much energy and emotion a few short months before had simply vanished. It was quite a surreal experience and has stayed with me. It was almost a magical moment. But evidence that human imagination can work in many different ways to inspire and create.

 Ten days before the Festival opens technical staff move in to set up power supplies and sound systems. During the event itself all technical responsibilities are shouldered by one full time member of staff, with further support provided by 60 temporary workers. This mix of full time and short term paid staff together with a small army of volunteers is characteristic of the staffing profile at Hay……across most departments. University interns are also extensively used too. Within “commercial” areas though (food outlets; retailing/merchandising areas) staff are on hourly paid contracts and tend to return each year like migrating swallows, drawn by the lure of not just financial gain, but also by the buzz of working within a stimulating environment. As one employee put it, “it sort of gets into your bloodstream”. The short term paid staff at the Hay Festival Bookshop for instance work on average for 4 weeks. Two weeks is spent setting up the bookshop before the event opens with the remainder of the time spent working during the Festival itself. Some staff take annual leave from full time jobs “in the outside world”, simply to enjoy working within a festival which embraces a lifetime passion. Not unlike other hobbies and interests, literature is like that.

Cancellation of the proposed Bank Holiday rail strike brought gasps of relief to the Festival “drivers”, who occupy much of their time collecting and returning visiting speakers from and to Hereford railway station. This transport interchange plays an important, yet understated role in the success of the Festival. As so many luminaries travel by train, using the time no doubt to perfect their lines, any industrial action would have caused much disruption. The announcement transformed moods and led to the abandonment of contingency planning schedules. Dining Room talk amongst the drivers was now less about improved Network Rail pay offers but more about the Lords Test Match (well, England for once were playing well). This group of backstage workers are always good value to have lunch with, reciting and replaying shared car journey conversations with the great and the good. Nothing like an insider view or some hot gossip to accompany the midday ham sandwich! Much as though I would like to relate some of these anecdotes to you, my knowledge of litigation prevents that!

The focal point for all staff working at Hay is the staff dining area. It is a haven of relative tranquillity away from the “madding crowds”; a social hub where talk is invariably about speakers and talks. The standard of food is exceptionally good and meal vouchers are gratefully exchanged for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Perhaps it is something about the effects of fresh air, or working outdoors, but food consumption seems particularly high. Do people usually eat this much during their normal lives? It is yet another happening at Hay that provokes a thought. Without doubt it is a most popular venue and the atmosphere within is always upbeat. Food production operations are managed by “Colin” – and have been for the past 27 years. He is as much a fixture at this event as the Florence family and may euphemistically be termed a character. His undoubted culinary talents and experience are matched by a colourful personality which echo loudly within the tent. He and his small team will serve 8,000 staff meals during the course of the event. For the statistically minded six tonnes of food will be ordered to meet this demand, all from local suppliers. The catering operation in itself is quite some accomplishment.

Management of food waste, emanating from both the tented staff canteen - and from the main festival site is a major logistical exercise. It falls under the remit of the Hay on Earth environmental programme, which covers a number of sustainable festival operations. The eight strong Waste Disposal team on site will be taking 9 tonnes of food to compost and will be collecting for recycling purpose, 6 tonnes of cardboard, 4 tonnes of glass and 4 tonnes of dry mixed recyclables. The figures in themselves reflect the magnitude of the festival and reflect in real terms the tangible impacts of 200,000 ticket holders. In their green uniforms (no surprise there) the team are a constant feature of the site, always working stealthily to keep public areas clean and pristine. Not unlike visitor management duties carried out by festival stewards, it is the understated nature of these type of duties which enhance the visitor experience.

Feedback from Hay 2015 has been particularly positive. The weather played its part with minimal rainfall, so wellingtons were a rare sight. It was correspondingly therefore a bad year for deckchairs as they were used so much. Free ticketing for school children proved to be a popular draw judging by the combined attendance of 5,500 over the two days. Much comment was also received about the site layout which in floor area terms was slightly bigger than 2014, providing more space for eating/drinking; for entry and exit points into venues - and for general access around the site. Again issues and developments relating to managing the visitor experience.

Driving away for the last time from this delightful part of East Wales, I played my usual game of selecting personal highlights; speakers and performances for instance, or shared conversations, moments of humour perhaps? The irony of a talk about the English and their history being delivered on the Wales stage, or endless political reflections about social welfare cuts and austerity taking place within the Daily Telegraph Tent both made me smile…or was it something completely different? Something over and above such things? Well this year it was. With profuse apologies to the stellar celebrities, my selection surprisingly related to a design highlight that consistently influenced the festival atmosphere...wider boardwalks! Their introduction had a marked impact. From a backstage perspective, easier visitor mobility around the site led to reduced congestion and happier visitors, which just goes to prove once again the disproportionate effect that small changes can have upon raising levels of enjoyment. 

That’s it for another year. Well at least in Wales. Another Hay Festival will take place in Ireland at the end of June and then subsequently across other continents. Time enough yet to organise a few more backstage passes!   

Andrew Campbell

World Book Night 2015...

On 23^rd April Carmarthen and Lampeter campus libraries took part in World Book Night – an evening of gifting books with the aim of targeting reluctant readers.  Back in January I had volunteered my services as a Book Giver and was fortunate enough to be accepted.

By the time the books had arrived at the beginning of March, I had forgotten all about the titles etc. so it all came as quite a surprise.  We had been given 24 copies each of Karl Pilkington’s The Moaning of Life and Lynda La Plante’s Prime Suspect.  These were two great titles to receive as it would span the demographic within the university quite nicely.

Preparations were all a bit last minute – World Book Night falling right in the heart of dissertation season was not ideal – but hopefully students would see the books as a suitable dangling carrot – perhaps something to take on that well-earned holiday and read by the pool?

The books were laid out in each campus library on Thursday afternoon and we were pleasantly surprised by the take-up.  Only a couple of copies left on each campus on Friday morning.  Better still, it was good to see that so many had offered their details for the Reading Agency’s marketing survey – the £5 high street voucher was clearly a draw.

All in all, this was a success for us and something we would definitely take part in again.  As an academic library we are here to help students with their research and information literacy skills; but we still uphold the values of all libraries and that is to take pleasure in reading – it can take you off to wonderful places!

If anyone is interested in being a giver themselves they can sign up for reminders now from the World Book Night website. 

Suzy Fisher

Periodicals Librarian

Carmarthen Campus

Christmas ‘blind date with a book’

Regular blog readers may remember our Valentine's ‘blind date with a book’ a couple of years ago, when staff at Townhill Library packaged up some books from the shelves so you could borrow a mystery ‘blind date’ to be unwrapped at home. It was a really popular idea, and we enjoyed doing it, so we’ve decided to do the same thing for Christmas!

Call into Townhill Library from now until Christmas Eve and you’ll see lots of lovely Christmas surprises under our tree. The idea is simple – we’ve chosen some of our favourite library books for you and wrapped them up so you don’t know what they are. There’s a little summary on each gift tag to help you choose one that you’d like to borrow. Perfect for those of us that are looking forward to snuggling down with a good book this Christmas, but aren’t sure what to read next! There are just a few simple steps to follow:-

• Take the book to the counter to issue (if you use self-service, no peeking at the title on the screen!)
• Open the package when you get home (you can wait till Christmas Day, if you like!)
• Books will be issued until the 16th January, so don't forget to bring your book back next term!

There are all sorts of books under the tree, so you’re bound to find something you like the sound of. Call in when you can, and remember to let us know what you thought or your surprise read!

 

Cwtch up with a book!

There’s definitely a chill in the air out there! It’s the perfect weather for cosying up by the fire and settling down with a good book (and perhaps a cup of tea and a biscuit!). With that in mind, the staff at Townhill Library have picked out some ‘cosy fireside reads’ to tempt you this Autumn. See anything you fancy?

Hydref

National Black Cat Day – Our favourite books about black cats

Today is National Black Cat Day, which was established to draw attention to the plight of black and black and white cats in rehoming centres round the world. Black cats often take much longer to rehome than their more colourful counterparts, though no one is sure why this is. You can find out more on the Cats Protection website.

Here at UWTSD Swansea libraries, we’re always pleased to find an excuse to share some of our favourite books with you, so here are our top five books featuring black moggies:-

1.       Six Dinner Sid, by Inga Moore – Fabulous picture book in which wandering black cat, Sid, discovers that whilst it’s great to have six meals a day, having a multitude of homes to call your own can come with its drawbacks too!

2.      Winnie the Witch, by Valerie Thomas – Here’s a book you can appreciate on a couple of different levels! Just enjoy the story of Winnie, who tries to change her black cat Wilbur so he’s easy to spot in her dark house, or take a look at the way Scope has used Winnie the Witch to describe the Social Model of Disability (in a nutshell: change the house, not the cat!).

3.      Slinky Malinki, by Lynley Dodd – “blacker than black” Slinky Malinki is a rather winsome creature during the day, but during the night becomes “wicked and fiendish and sly”. This rhyming tale of the cat’s dual life is an absolute delight, whatever your age!

4.      Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat, by Ursula Moray Williams – Gobbolino, the little black cat with blue eyes and one white paw, is supposed to be a witch’s cat, but he’d much rather be a kitchen cat sleeping by the fire all day! Can this magical cat find his perfect home?

5.      The Black Cat, by Edgar Allan Poe – We couldn’t leave out Edgar Allan Poe, the macabre master of the short story! This tale sees our protagonist wracked with guilt over an injury he does to his once beloved pet cat. Things get more and more sinister as the story goes on, so maybe don’t read this one right before bed! It’s perfect for Halloween, though, and is available in various free versions online, and can also be found in the Edgar Allan Poe short story collections which we have available in Townhill Library.

We’re sure Colin, our resident Mount Pleasant black cat, would approve!

Raawwwwr! It’s Global Tiger Day

Image courtesy of criminalatt / Free Digital Photos 

Global Tiger Day is held every year on the 29^th July with the aim of raising awareness and support for tiger conservation. We’re fans of cats big and small here at UWTSD Swansea libraries, so in honour of the humble moggy’s formidable cousin, here are our top five books about tigers. They’re grrrreat! (See what we did there?)

 

1.       The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr – surely the best book about a tiger that’s ever been! If you’re not familiar with the story (and if you’re not we recommend you give yourself a treat and take a look as soon as you can), it revolves around Sophie and her unexpected and very hungry houseguest. A real treat!

2.      Life of Pi, by Yann Martel – recently made into a successful film, this captivating tale sees a tiger, an orang-utan, a zebra, a hyena and a teenage boy (Pi) adrift together in a lifeboat out at sea. It probably isn’t giving too much away to say that they do not make for a band of happy shipmates! Don’t worry about the plausibility, just let yourself get carried away on Pi’s journey.

3.      The House at Pooh Corner, by A. A. Milne – Who could forget Tigger, the bounciest, most exuberant tiger of all? He’s so much a part of the gang with Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore and the rest that it’s hard to believe he didn’t appear in the first book, Winnie-the-Pooh, at all! He arrives in the forest and has breakfast in this follow up and soon makes his presence felt. He can be a little overbearing at times, but that’s the wonderful thing about Tiggers!

4.      Augustus and his Smile, by Catherine Rayner – Augustus the tiger has lost his smile and he’s quite sad about it, so after a “HUGE tigery stretch”, off he goes to find it. A gorgeous picture book that reminds us that happiness is there for the taking if we just go and look for it. Fabulous!

5.      Tiger Tiger, by Melvin Burgess – Yorkshire is the unlikely setting of this book, where we find Lila the Spirit-Tiger transforming herself into a young girl in order to wreak revenge on those involved in a massacre at Malham Tiger Park. Another one where you’ll need to suspend your disbelief and immerse yourself in the story! Well worth it.

 

Desert Island Books

Image courtesy of: foto76 / Free Digital Photos

 

 

Time for the last instalment in our long running Desert Island Books series. The grand finale comes from ex UWTSD library Assistant, Hannah Meiklejohn, who now works for the Faculty of Art and Design. We hope you've enjoyed reading our book choices as much as we've enjoyed sharing them with you!

If you were stranded on a desert island which 4 books would you like to have

with you and why?

 

My first choice would be The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley because it brings back memories of bedtime reading with Dad. I have it on my Kindle but I would love to get my hands on either a first edition (1863) or an original 1916 version, which included beautifully illustrated coloured plates by Jessie Wilcox Smith. 

 

The second book would be Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.  The first time I read it I didn't want it to end, so I started to read each chapter twice before moving on (a fitting tribute to The Soldier Who Saw Everything Twice, I think!).  I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to read and re-read it on the island.

 

The third book would be The Complete works of Shakespeare.  As a single volume it would be huge - no need to worry about running out of reading material for a while.  I would start with The Tempest as the characters were trapped on an island for twelve years so I would probably be able to relate - I may even pick up a few tips!  Viola was also found shipwrecked in Twelfth Night, so I would move on to that next.   Hamlet is my favourite of Shakespeare's plays, but I have never read some of the classics like King Lear or Merchant of Venice so as well as old favourites I will have plenty of time to discover some new reading material. 

 

Finally for my fourth book I would bring a blank notebook.  I would use it to journal my adventures, write letters that I can never send, record my dreams, doodle, compose poems and make notes for story ideas.  If I'm on the island long enough, I might even finish writing a novel (one can dream…)

 

If you could bring one of the characters to life, for company, who would you choose and why?

 

The Water Babies has some wonderfully named characters (such as Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby) but I would without a doubt choose somebody from Catch 22.  While a doctor would come in handy, I wouldn't get much use out of Doc Daneeka.  As well as being selfish and unwilling to help others, he is also officially dead (he even gives up telling people he’s alive as no one believes him).  It would not be Milo Minderbinder.  Using flawless, circular logic he would no doubt convince me to do all the work on the island, and let him take all the credit.  I would love to spend some time with Yossarian, but I think the obvious choice, given my setting, would be Orr.  Orr is a genius at constructing apparatus.  We'll keep warm, cool, dry, clean and eventually when I'm bored of the island we'll build a boat and row all the way to Sweden.  Good ol' Orr.

You can have one luxury item on the island with you…what would it be?

 

A camera and a HD card with the largest memory capacity you can have.  It would need to be operational for my whole ‘strandedness’ so maybe it will be a wind up or solar powered one.  I'm assuming this island gets plenty of sun.  Can I also have a good zoom lens for getting shots of insects and animals?  I’d love to do a time lapse of the islands’ movements.  I have to take pictures everywhere I go. #DesertIslandSelfie  - that’s a thing, right?

 

You are rescued and can only take one book back with you…which one would

you pick?

 

If I did manage to find a first edition of The Water Babies I wouldn't want to leave it behind, but as precious as that would be, my notebook would be irreplaceable

 

Children's Book Week

Yes, it’s Children’s Book Week this week! We love a good children’s book at UWTSD Swansea libraries, with lots of quality books for youngsters from early years to teens available in the Teaching Practice collection at Townhill, and a good selection of beautiful picture books available on the shelves at Griffith Library in Dynevor. We all have our favourite reads from childhood, and many so-called 'children’s' books make good reading whatever your age, so do feel free to have a browse next time you’re in.

Children’s Book Week has been going for over 80 years now and aims to support reading for pleasure. You can find out more on the Booktrust web  pages, where you’ll also find links to resources such as Booktrust’s 100 Best Books (how many have you read?) and a toolkit to help parents encourage a love of reading in their children. You can also take a look at the Booktrust Best Book Guide 2014, which has been published to coincide with this week's celebrations. Perfect if you’re looking for some new books for the special little someone in your life!

Festivities officially end tomorrow (4^th July), but we think every day is a good day to enjoy reading a good book. Let’s see how many of the 100 Best Books we can read over the summer!

Desert Island Books...

Image courtesy of: Simon Howden / Free Digital Photos

 

We're coming to the end of our Desert Island Books series now, just time for a couple more contributions before we finish...this week from Chris Buxton, Lecturer and Senior Research Assistant in the School of Fine Art, Photography & Film and CIRIC (Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre), Dynevor Campus. 

If you were stranded on a desert island which 4 books would you like to have with you and why?

So, here's the thing, I rarely read novels. A shameful admission for a long time journalist and screenwriter, I know, but there you go. I blame my deeply tedious afternoons in 'O' Level English Literature. Actually, I did enjoy William Golding's Lord Of The Flies - hopefully, not the desert island experience you have in mind - but it was Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd that really soured me. In my defence, hearing it read aloud by a bunch of disinterested Bristolian teenagers for months on end is probably enough to steer anyone away from the delights of the classics.

Still, I am an avid reader and have a huge number of books, lots of non-fiction, lots about films, filmmakers and filmmaking. I was and am an autodidact and, in the days before the internet, books gifted me the secret knowledge I was seeking. And so, my first choice of book is one I bought as an undergraduate studying History and Sociology, David A Cook's A History Of Narrative Film. Until then, film for me was just the movies, whatever was on in the cinema or out on VHS. Cook's text book weaved a spellbinding story out of films, some that I knew and many I didn't. It drove me to investigate the many films within and sparked the passion that has driven my life ever since. I didn't really know about things like directors, auteurs, the studio system or national cinemas, before reading Cook - movies weren't something anyone I knew took remotely seriously, let alone saw as a potential career - so this was a revelation. It's hard to think of a single book that has had a bigger impact upon me than that chance purchase in Waterstone's in Bath one summer afternoon.

A similar early inspiration is Ian Christie's book, Scorsese On Scorsese, a series of interviews with the director, whose film Taxi Driver had shocked me with its power when a school friend hired it from the video library a few years earlier - on a fake ID, naturally. In Christie's book, the story of Scorsese was told in his own words. Here, I not only encountered his other work, the sublime wonders of Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Mean Streets, but discovered that he went to something called a film school and studied to be a filmmaker. Why didn't they ever tell us these sort of places existed when I was in school? And Scorsese was from a working class background, like me, so if he could do it, why couldn't I? As a one-two punch, Cook and Christie's books, both bought in the same summer, transformed my life. I still have them to this day, and their creased, dog-eared states are a testament to the profound effect they exerted over me.

I rarely read novels but I do read graphic novels. As a small child, I would read comics like The Beano and The Dandy, then progressed to British sci-fi stalwart, 2000AD. British comics of the day were inky, smudgy, black and white affairs, with just the cover and centre pages in colour, colours that usually bled into each other. American comics were a different beast, all colour with glossy covers and filled with adverts for things we could only dream of like Sea Monkeys, Crackerjack Popcorn and Hostess Twinkies. The very first American comic I bought from the local newsagent was Daredevil #168, a self-contained tale of love, tragedy and revenge. By complete chance, I had stumbled on to one of the highpoints of Marvel Comics' history, Frank Miller & Klaus Janson's run on Daredevil. Miller was yet to create his more-lauded The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300, but these works' adult themes, noir cityscapes and spectacular violence were already there in his Daredevil, collected in the mammoth Daredevil Miller-Janson Omnibus that's replaced the comics now consigned to my Dad's attic.

Now, I feel I should have a proper novel, so I will go for one of Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. Pretty much any one will do, although I particularly enjoyed Casino Royale and From Russia With Love. The Bond of the books feels a bit stiffer than Sean, Roger, Daniel et al, but he's more of bastard too, and can drink, smoke and take various pharmaceuticals for Britain. I read them all over the space of a few months, mostly on trains as I went to and from hospital visiting my mother as succumbed to ever more illnesses towards the end of her life. She was a huge fan of the Bond movies, had them on video, and when I was little, would take me to them on school holidays whenever a new one came out. So, whilst the Bond books remain thrilling page turners, there's always that sentimental link for me, that adds a further resonance.

If you could bring one of the characters to life, for company, who would you choose and why?

 

It would have to be James Bond, wouldn't it? If he couldn't get me off a desert island, who could? If Bond couldn't help me escape, though, Casino Royale Bond girl Vesper Lynd would be a far preferable, if potentially treacherous companion.

 

You can have one luxury item on the island with you…what would it be?

 

I would have my cat, Willow, with me. She's a pedigree Ragamuffin, bred to be affectionate playful companions, which she most certainly is. And she's certainly a luxury as she's no good as a mouser, is afraid of visitors and needs pretty much constant combing and brushing. Still, she's incredibly entertaining, very relaxing and a great listener - we all talk to our pets, right?

 

You are rescued and can only take one book back with you…which one would you pick?

For sentimental reasons, it would have to be my old copy of Cook's A History Of Narrative Film, even though I could probably recite whole passages of it from memory.

 

2014 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway winners announced!

The winners of the most hotly contested prizes in children’s literature were announced yesterday. Kevin Brooks has won the CILIP Carnegie Medal for The Bunker Diary and Jon Klassen has won the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for This is Not my Hat.

Jon Klassen seems a bit fixated on hats. He was shortlisted for the Greenaway award last year with I Want my Hat Back. Both books are excellent and good fun whatever your age, so do take a look. This is Not my Hat has a bit of a shock ending, though, so approach with care if you’re of a sensitive disposition! We should also point out that Klassen doesn’t just write about hats. In fact, he had an extra chance of winning this year as he was also nominated for The Dark, his collaboration with Lemony Snicket (of A Series of Unfortunate Events fame). Nothing to do with hats!

Kevin Brooks is no stranger to the Carnegie Medal, having been shortlisted three times before for Martyn Pig (2002), The Road of the Dead (2007) and Black Rabbit Summer (2009), so it’s good to see him finally take home the prize. Brooks has never shied away from tough issues and his books can be a gruelling read. The Bunker Diary deals with homelessness, drug abuse and imprisonment, amongst other things, and as such has caused some controversy. It’s certainly not a book for young children! Despite its bleak nature (Brooks believes that teenagers and young adults don’t always need a happy ending, and it’s patronising to suggest they do), The Bunker Diary won the judging panel over on good old-fashioned literary merit and a compelling storyline.

The Carnegie and Greenaway medals are the oldest and most prestigious awards in children’s literature. They are judged solely by UK librarians. The process of selecting the long lists started back in the autumn, with a shortlist announced in March this year. You can find out more about the awards and this year’s ceremony, including comments from the winners and judges, on the official CILIP awards website. The shortlists for both awards are below. All are available from Townhill Library, so call in and make your own judgement! You’ll find them on our New Books display on the first floor.

CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist 2014:-

The Bunker Diary, Kevin Brooks

Liar and Spy, Rebecca Stead

Blood Family, Anne Fine

Rooftoppers, Katherine Rundell

Ghost Hawk, Susan Cooper

The Child’s Elephant, Rachel Campbell-Johnston

All the Truth That’s in Me, Julie Berry

The Wall, William Sutcliffe

 

CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist 2014:-

This is Not my Hat, Jon Klassen

The Paper Dolls, Rebecca Cobb (written by Julia Donaldson)

Where my Wellies Take me, Olivia Gill (written by Clare and Michael Morpurgo)

The Day the Crayons Quit, Oliver Jeffers (written by Drew Daywalt)

The Dark, Jon Klassen (written by Lemony Snicket)

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf, Dave McKean (written by David Almond)

Oliver, Birgitta Sif

 

 

Desert Island Books...

Image courtesy of: Arztsamui / Free Digital Photos

 

Many thanks to Angela Maddock for her amusing contribution to Desert Island Books this week! Angela is Senior Lecturer in Contextual Studies and also Pathway Leader in MA Textiles, School of Research and Postgraduate Studies for the Faculty of Art & Design...

I don't come from a family of readers. My Mum is dyslexic, my brother was and my sister is…so reading was neither enjoyed nor celebrated, though I do remember the usual classic collections, mostly works of Shakespeare, that sort of thing. These volumes display lovely pin pricks at their spines, my brother would hang his dart board in front of them. I did A level English, badly, very badly. I spent too much time swimming, playing hockey and tennis  and went to the cinema to watch Polanski's Tess so that I was able to write about it in my exam. I was not a good student. Yet in that sleepy gap between exams and my miserable results, I lay in the sun, working my way through the reading list I should have started two years earlier. In that summer I read Nabokov, Orwell, Plath, Salinger, Hardy, Solzhenitsyn, Sagan, Kundera, Murdoch…mostly depressing stuff that I found deeply engaging and the kind of book to which I am always returning - except that now I also like books that make me laugh too, Anne Tyler is a particular favourite. I also love Kazuo Ishiguro's writing, Carol Shields, Iain Banks,  Philip Roth, Toni Morrison. Those few weeks of summer were a real turning point; I can't say that I am especially well read, but I understand what books mean to me and how other people's words live inside me. Having been asked to do this, I found myself looking at the bookshelves in our home, picking up old favourites. Last night I started to reread Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea  and then dreamt I lived in that extraordinary house, swam in the sea! Well here goes…ask me next week, or even tomorrow, and this list would be very different.

 

My favourite four books:

John Irving: A Prayer for Owen Meaney

Iris Murdoch: The Sea, The Sea

Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca

Iain Banks: The Wasp Factory

 

All four are books I carry in my head, Owen Meaney reduced me to tears,  Wasp Factory was so fantastically dystopian and The Sea, The Sea and Rebecca are such classic books and bring me back to water, which I love!

 

Which character would I like to bring to life? Owen Meaney, no contest!

 

What would be my luxury item? My husband reckoned I'd ask for a really good pillow, but I know that I would want a very excellent pair of tinted swimming goggles.

 

If I was rescued and could take only one book, oh dear! I think I would glue the pages of The Sea, The Sea inside those of Owen Meaney…I'm not good at sticking to rules!

 

And if you had asked me about music, I have no taste, it would be 80s all the way…

Postcards from Hay!

                                                      Assistant Librarian, Alison Evans

The university and its library staff in particular, seem to have undertaken a mass exodus to the Hay Festival this year! Some were first time visitors, others were introducing their children to the festival, one was returning to work as a volunteer steward...and the primary motivation of others seemed to be the presence of Benedict Cumberbatch! We thought you'd like to hear what they all got up to, so here are a selection of 'postcards' from Hay...  

 

 

Helen Beale - Deputy Head of Library and Learning Resources

 

My initial observation of Hay this year – mud and a veritable rainbow of Hunter wellies – the highest concentration of Hunter wellies I have ever come across in one field!

Our first session Letters Live coincided with my 18 year old daughters’ first ever visit to Hay, what enticed her to join us this year? I’d like to say it was the literary element of the festival but no, it was the chance to see Benedict Cumberbatch live on stage! The queue for this event started early and was made up primarily of very enthusiastic young (and not so young) fans, some sporting rather interesting T shirts. One teenage fan tried (emphasis on tried) to engage Caitlin in conversation about her recently purchased Benedict Cumberbatch colouring book! This was a step too far for Caitlin though who went off in search of a hot drink.

Letters Live was inspired by To The Letter, by Simon Garfield and Letters of Note by Shaun Usher, to celebrate the dying art of letter writing. A group of performers read a selection of letters including the very touching letter written by explorer Robert Scott to his wife on knowing he was going to die on his Antarctic mission in 1912 and one from Elvis to President Nixon in 1970 asking if he could help the country’s fight against drug abuse.

On Saturday we went from the comic musing of the QI Elves, who knew so much lurked in beards, via Tom Hollander and Andrew Davies talking about the recently aired drama A Poet in New York, to a celebration of the poetry of Dylan Thomas with Rob Brydon and friends. Now looking forward to 2015!

 

Alison Evans - Assistant Librarian

Thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to the Hay Festival - heard the amazing James Lovelock and utterly engaging Charlotte Higgins. Will definitely be back. However, must remember:

1. Plan ahead and book early

2.Bring wellies

3. (Most importantly) Do not leave glasses on car seat in 'park and ride' and spend the rest of the day having to be pointed in the general direction of the stage!

 

Allison Jones, Library Assistant

It was with some trepidation that my husband and I jumped in the car and set off for the Hay Festival.  We are festival novices and with two children, aged 11 and 3, in hand we just didn’t know what to expect and were dreading the, “I’m bored”. 

Hayfever is the children’s programme at Hay and I have to say that the list of events was astounding.  I’m fortunate in having two children that love books and so it was very disappointing that my youngest was unable to attend any of the shows.  It does however give us something to look forward to in future years with authors such as Alison Brown, Tom Gates, Jacqueline Wilson and the 2011 – 13 Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson.

A scaled down replica of Dylan Thomas’ writing shed greeted us at the entrance.  I wouldn’t have taken a second look but my eldest sone spent a good twenty minutes looking at the various artefacts within.  The pop up shed is touring the country as part of the centenary celebrations and is worth a peep if you are in its vicinity (http://www.dylanthomasboathouse.com/pop-up-shed/).  I can feel a trip to Laugharne looming.

Events wise my eldest and I had opted for Anthony Horowitz, the author of the Alex Rider series, Diamond Brothers and the Power of Five.  Horowitz was giving a talk on his recent bestseller, Russian Roulette, a prequel to Alex Rider which very much focuses on Alex’s arch nemis, Yassan Gregorovitch , a Russian assassin.  In truth I had not read any of his titles and was amazed at the volume of his writing.  He spoke briefly about his script writing for series such as Foyles War, Poirot and Midsummer Murders and the complications of fitting in a murder around a commercial break but he mainly addressed the formation of his books popular with children. He gave an insight into how he meticulously created plans when sketching stories, the development of his characters and amazingly how he successfully juggles two to three projects at a time – which he believes stems off writers block.  Throughout the hour he engaged and entertained his young audience with plots on how to successfully “blow up” people!

With hindsight I would have also booked to see Michael Murpurgo. Not knowing what to expect we chose to just dip our toes into this year’s Hay.  Having the festival so close to home is amazing and will hopefully have encouraged reluctant readers to pick up a book.  Indeed having not picked up a book in five years I have just completed a novel by George Orwell!

It's also worth mentioning that I have booked some other literary events, this time plays,  for my children, Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book in Aberglasney Gardens and the War Horse in Cardiff Millenium Centre.  It is great to see so much going on the doorstep this summer which doesn’t involve football!

 

Andrew Campbell - Head of Leisure, Events, Tourism & Sport (Swansea)

Clearly judging by the amount of UWTSD staff seen shuffling along the boardwalks last week, there were quite a few empty desks back in SA1 during the Whitsun break. This surge of literary interest was welcome and will perhaps herald a new dawn in creative assignment writing throughout the university. Well, one can but hope! For most of the week those same some UWTSD staff  and other visitors appeared weilding umbrellas, hoping to ward of unprecedented levels of rainfall. Deluges rendered the Festival site impassable at times with scenes more reminiscent of muddy Glastonbury than Hay. It was a good week for Hunter wellingtons, but correspondingly a bad week for car park attendants.

Despite the weather, some record visitor days were recorded, fuelled principally by some stellar celebrity appearances(someone please remind me in the next life to change my surname to Cumberbatch). The likes of Tom Hollander (I met a woman who had flown over from California specifically to see him deliver two readings. Hmm), Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Bear Grylls, Julia Donaldson, Mary Berry, Jennifer Saunders (I could go on....and on....) never failed to enthral their followers, who often queued up three hours in advance of performance times. Who said that popular culture was in decline?! That said, the "lesser names" on the programme often provided greater value in terms of thinking and reflection. Audiences who listened to the poetry of Simon Armitage for instance, writing about the First World War, could not have been more emotionally moved....or those who sat in on Oscar Guardiola - Rivera would have been spellbound by revelations over the coup d'etat of former Chilean President Salvador Allende. Again and as ever, the list of subject matter was so eclectic. Even ex Spurs defender Sol Campbell turned up to speak about celebrity football. Enough said.

My duties at Hay were varied, but always involved connection and conversation with those who "tipped up" for the event. For newcomers the old Vauxhall advert strapline about being "once bitten, forever smitten" holds true for Hay. Go once and prepare for a lifelong engagement. People return year after year and always want to share opinions about presentations heard. Or want to talk about real life encounters with those in the public eye, who also come along to listen surreptitiously to those on stage. Some notable ticket holders in my queue this year included Alan Yentob, Suggs (of Madness fame|), Susannah (from Trinny and)....and Tony Fadell. Tony who? (he created the iPod). Just like visitors to Hay, festival staff always seem to talk about presentation highlights as well. For the record, my 2014 choice was as follows: in third place Anthony Horowitz; in second place Margaret Macmillan....and in top spot (and I know this gets a high rating from another UWTSD member of staff, Lucy Griffiths as she was there too), Arianna Huffington. In her talk about happiness - The Third Metric, she simply inspired.

That's it from me. A few insights, a few thoughts. Just 360 days to go then...to the next Hay Festival! Unless one wants to go the Winter Festival of course...