[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-hay-hay-hay":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Okay, let me just start with the best thing about my first visit to the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.hayfestival.com/wales/index.aspx?skinid=2&currencysetting=GBP&localesetting=en-GB&resetfilters=true\">Hay Festival\u003C/a>: I got to spend a day hanging out with these fab ladies! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_1-ebdf9c32c6.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nYou'll find \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a> all over my blog, and Candy and I both think \u003Ca href=\"http://www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk\">Geraldine McCaughrean\u003C/a> is the best writer we know. And she's lovely, we had a good romp in the field that is the massive lit festival at Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Here we are at our event. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_20-7793c1f368.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI talk about Candy's \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/288657.html\">\u003Ci>Tall Story\u003C/i> in an earlier blog post\u003C/a>, and here's am illustrated review of Geraldine's \u003Ci>Pull Out All the Stops\u003C/i>, which you can read in full over on \u003Ca href=\"http://the-solitary-bee.blogspot.com/2010/12/pull-out-all-stops.html\">Philip Reeve's website\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://the-solitary-bee.blogspot.com/2010/12/pull-out-all-stops.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pulloutstops-dc242196ce.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nThe next day, I was swanning around, doing my monster-aliens-space princess thing on the Starlight Stage... \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_54-ac6edb00eb.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...when who should I walk right into when I came out of the event? \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_10-25e1d5c29c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhy, it's the \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall\">Duchess of Cornwall\u003C/a>! Yes, indeedy. We shook hands and talked a bit about aliens and monsters, and then she went away, but popped up again in the Green Room. So here we are just outside in the garden and she has a brand new copy of \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>. I introduced her to \u003Ca href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/cantilupe\">Anne Cottringer\u003C/a>, who gave her a copy of our picture book, \u003Ci>When Titus Took the Train\u003C/i>. Stuart is still rolling his eyes in mock horror that I said, 'Hello, you' to the Duchess and signed her book, \u003Ci>To Camilla\u003C/i>, instead of using a formal title or something. Apparently that is not the Done Thing. I hope she likes comics. (Candy says I 'barged past security', but this is not true! It was all very open and easy, just most British people are very shy.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_2-8b7909f83c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI'd been curious to meet the writers \u003Ca href=\"http://www.alisparkes.co.uk/\">Ali Sparkes\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.mrgum.co.uk/author.htm\">Andy Stanton\u003C/a>, and I got to see them over lunch, together with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.marksworks.co.uk/\">Graham Marks\u003C/a>. In fact, we were having so much fun mucking about that, that two things happened, bad and good. The bad thing: I completely forgot I had a train to catch back to London, and missed my ride....\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here to read under the cut!--> \\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_48-63da83d57b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe good thing: it meant I got a lift all the way to Newport with the actress \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Lipman\">Maureen Lipman\u003C/a>. How cools is that? Here we are at Newport station.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_43-35eea06ea9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOh my, who is this big beardy man in my lap? \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_35-32d1c1cd5c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHold your horses, it's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.philipardagh.co.uk/\">Philip Ardagh\u003C/a>! Philip and I always seem to have our photos or event descriptions side-by-side in festival brochures, but we never, never overlap. Until this time! So my curiosity had been well stoked. And yes, he is every bit as beardy as his pictures and wears size 16 shoes.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_3-5c16d50954.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are a couple quick portraits I sketched:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_sketch2-b8880a7836.jpg\" width=\"210\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_sketch3-258c08d1ac.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut the publicist \u003Ca href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/ninadouglas\">Nina Douglas\u003C/a> looked prettier in a cowboy hat than Philip, so we went off and spent some time on the farm. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_33-ba026d8342.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOh wait, no, it is not a Welsh farm, it is a big photo backdrop next to the teas and coffees. I might just be slightly overcaffeinated here. Nina is not even my publicist but I seem to see her more than I see a lot of my friends, and she lives in mortal fear of appearing on my blog. (\u003Ci>Ha ha, hello, Nina!\u003C/i>)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_34-2befac72ec.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's my fab writer, \u003Cb>Anne Cottringer\u003C/b>. She lives in Hereford (not far from Hay), so we don't get to hang out very often, and when we do, fun things happen. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_19-b9a2143f92.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHave you seen the stop-motion animation we made? (Apologies if you have already!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"882\"/>\\r\n\\r\nHere we are doing a Titus board game workshop in one of the children's pavilions.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_21-1f85446372.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhen I first arrived at Hay, I was a little bit intimidated by the huge rank of famous-people-I-don't-know all plunking away furiously at their laptops in the utilitarian computer space behind the artists' Green Room. I didn't quite know what to do. But then I found the marvelous and hugely prolific comic creators, the \u003Ca href=\"http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/\">Etherington Brothers\u003C/a>, and immediately felt much better. \u003Cb>Lorenzo Etherington\u003C/b> (left) and \u003Cb>Bob Etherington\u003C/b> (right) had just finished up their \u003Ci>Monkey Nuts\u003C/i> comics workshop and I had a good chat with them and their partners before they headed off back to Bristol.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_8-5836d6ccc7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd then I saw \u003Ca href=\"http://clubs-kids.scholastic.co.uk/authors/1477\">Axel Sheffler\u003C/a>. I run into Axel about once a month and he seems to vacillate between bemusement and bewilderment at the encounters.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_18-75b3a9f702.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's my fab publicist from Oxford University Press, \u003Cb>Harriet Bayly\u003C/b> and her family. Hattie did a good job looking after me and keeping me out of too much trouble.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_6-d936ac8a4e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAlthough she did look slightly surprised when she popped away from the lunch table and came back to find I'd drawn all over her daughter.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_17-79997e9d18.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis kid was funny. I'd signed something for him, so he came back with a brochure which included a picture of him from last year, and he signed it for me. Now we're even.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_5-1fa1d47fb2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAfter my three events, I managed to stay an extra night at the festival so I'd overlap with my lovely friend \u003Ca href=\"http://www.oup.com/oxed/children/authors/marlowl/\">Layn Marlow\u003C/a>. Here she is with Philip, who's sitting at a... jaunty angle.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_49-7f705ae3d8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe made Bug and Bear hats at Layn's event! Here we are with her daughter, \u003Ca href=\"http://teganontoast.blogspot.com/\">Tegan Marlow\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_42-9c92d0e41c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnother Bug hat:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_52-d48830f356.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLayn drawing characters from \u003Ci>How Many Sleeps?\u003C/i>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_53-0d93d32aea.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLayn's whole family! In the Great Outdoors of the tea and coffee area.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_41-7b881a77d5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nTegan and Candy's daughter, \u003Cb>Mia\u003C/b>, were super-chuffed to meet up with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.malorieblackman.co.uk/\">Malorie Blackman\u003C/a> (as were Candy and I, of course; Malorie's pretty amazing).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_26-91511ef091.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nYou can watch the trailer for Malorie's new book \u003Ci>Boys Don't Cry\u003C/i>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"900\"/>\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Kerr\">Judith Kerr\u003C/a>! I grew up with her book \u003Ci>Mog the Forgetful Cat\u003C/i> and everyone in Britain seems to have read \u003Ci>The Tiger Who Came for Tea\u003C/i>. Here she's with publicist \u003Cb>Philippa Perry\u003C/b>, who really knows how to throw a good book launch party and who had tea with me over breakfast when I saw her walking by the window and nabbed her.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_45-6472402f57.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI didn't actually stay in a B&B, but the most wonderful big Georgian private house, owned by \u003Cb>Malcolm and Shirley Smith\u003C/b>. They just open it up for the festival, and are amazing hosts. Just before I left, I ran around their beautiful, huge back garden and saw the blackcurrant and tayberry bushes that had made breakfast so tasty. And very entertaining, sitting across from \u003Cb>Mary and\u003C/b> \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lodge_%28author%29\">David Lodge\u003C/a>; they told me lots of cool stuff about doodlebugs, Spitfires and air-raid shelters. I was very sad when it was time to leave the table! The other people I got to meet while I was staying there included \u003Ca href=\"http://www.lindagrant.co.uk/\">Linda Grant\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/jan/08/fiction.edwardstaubyn\">Edward St Aubyn\u003C/a> and a Cambridge \u003Ca href=\"http://www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk/archome.html\">archivist of colonial-era Indian film footage\u003C/a> named \u003Cb>Kevin Greenbank\u003C/b>. (And Linda told me I just missed \u003Ca href=\"http://chrispriestley.blogspot.com/\">Chris Priestley\u003C/a>, darn it.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_37-94e31bc814.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis is the road I walked from Malcolm & Shirley's to the festival site. Although I didn't get much time to explore the village, Hay looks lovely, and nestles into beautiful green hills.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_38-aee79b3031.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI went to Candy's writing workshop, where she talked about how legends about giants inspired \u003Ci>Tall Story\u003C/i> and had us make up some legends of our own.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_27-b30863e766.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy photos from dinner after my event with Geraldine and Candy didn't come out, but I wanted to be sure to get in a photo of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fionadunbar.com/\">Fiona Dunbar\u003C/a> (right), who was out in force, along with librarian \u003Ca href=\"http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/shadowingsite/weblog.php\">Ferelith Hordon\u003C/a> (centre).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_55-276326d32b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA few more Green Room shots: Here's Geraldine and Candy with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/\">Michael Morpurgo\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_7-fc20b5858e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd Layn with \u003Ca href=\"http://www.emilygravett.com/\">Emily Gravett\u003C/a> (note their matching boots):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_40-9678187e1a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSome writers I just learned about: \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Lawrence\">Caroline Lawrence\u003C/a>, who has fab western clothing, the thickest hair I've ever seen and who's been writing Western books, including \u003Ci>The Case of the Deadly Desperados\u003C/i>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_25-6030151845.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd speaking of Western, here's an Englishman named \u003Cb>Rupert Isaacson\u003C/b> who pretty much lives in Texas now, who wrote a book called \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"http://www.horseboymovie.com/Book.php\">The Horse Boy\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, about how he was able to connect with his autistic son through horse riding. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_29-44d3f50269.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThey went on a big family ride across Mongolia, which sounded well cool, and now he's made a \u003Ca href=\"http://www.horseboymovie.com/Film.php\">film\u003C/a> about it:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"881\"/>\\r\n\\r\nJust before I left, I met \u003Ca href=\"http://www.joannanadin.com/\">Joanna Nadin\u003C/a>, who's written a book called \u003Ci>Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster\u003C/i>, illustrated by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jessmikhail.com/\">Jess Mikhail\u003C/a> (whom I met last year at a \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/343549.html\">SCBWI retreat\u003C/a>).\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_44-aeaaaf8591.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's the fabulous \u003Cb>Sophie Lording\u003C/b> (\u003Ca href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/sophielording\">sophielording\u003C/a> on Twitter) who read on my blog that I was very keen to doing an event with Geraldine McCaughrean and made the Hay magic all happen. Thank you so much, Sophie!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_4-c7d986ae32.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOther fun things included two events by standup comedians \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Brand\">Jo Brand\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Smith_%28comedian%29\">Arthur Smith\u003C/a>. I followed everyone's advice to bring wellies to the festival, but luckily we hardly had any rain and this picture wasn't prophetic.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/candy_geraldine_sarah-59ed741e79.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI'll attach a few more pictures with Camilla just because, from the intensive grilling I got about the royal wedding on my last visit to the States, I know that it's what a lot of my readers in North America will want to see. Here she is, meeting Anne Cottringer:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_15-b1879e0aed.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnne and Camilla discuss \u003Ci>When Titus Took the Train\u003C/i>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_14-f57f00008b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nFrom the look on the duchess's face, I think possibly I am saying something cheeky here, but I hope not.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_11-8074f2b48a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnne and I being slightly fazed and bemused by the whole thing: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_13-a7582f1465.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>Edit:\u003C/i> I just realised that the kid's autographed copy of \u003Ci>\u003Cb>The Hayly Telegraph\u003C/b>: Free Daily Paper of the Telegraph Hay Festival\u003C/i> has my illustration and an interview with Candy for our event! Here it is. (Click on the image to zoom in for just the text.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/jabberworks/Festivals/hay_brochure_zoom.jpg\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_brochure-d9031fa7c7.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd a final sketch I made while scribbling a letter to a friend on the train ride home.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hay_festival_sketch1-947bf8ab4b.gif\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>Edit 2:\u003C/i> Oo! Now go read fabulous write-ups by \u003Ca href=\"http://candygourlay.blogspot.com/2011/06/im-artist-let-me-into-green-room-hay.html\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com/2011/06/suffering-from-hay-fever-is-not-bad.html\">the Etherington brothers\u003C/a>!","2011-06-02T07:40:00.000Z","hay-hay-hay",[],"hay hay hay!",1776628720262]