If there is one drawback to writing as I've been doing for the past 5 plus years on 'Serge the Concierge', it is the lack of time to read books as a leisure activity.
I should say fiction in my case as I receive mostly food, wine and travel related books for review.
In many instances, when I mention a book and even more when I interview the author, I like to dive into the volume to get a good feel for it and it takes time.
Sponsored by The Guardian which gives us The lowdown on this annual literary festival, The Hay Festival Wales 2010 opens on Thursday, May 27 and runs until June 6.
The Guardian credits Bill Clinton for calling the event 'Woodstock of the Mind'.
It does not sound out of place when you see the showcase event for Bank Holiday below.
The festival kicks off Thursday with The Greenprint Forum a number of discussions on the environment.
Amongst them Mark Lynas author of Six Degrees and High Tide on 'why he has changed his views on the big issues including nuclear power,
GMOs and organic food.'
Also of interest, Will Anderson and Sunand Prasad look at Designing Sustainable Homes and Buildings
In a different sphere, On Friday, May 28 (5:15 PM) Susan Blackmore brings Ten Zen Questions: Consciousness, memory and identity are explored through the mutual disciplines of zen practice and scientific theory.
Dozens more authors and discussions will take place over the course of the festival
For the arts part, music has a seat at the table.
Styles vary from Toumani Diabate, Laura Marling, Bonobo, Beth Orton and Christy Moore to Natacha Atlas.
Want to dance the night away, Sound of the Baskervilles is for you with DJ's and carnal pleasures of over 18 event with RIO ROX Sound System on Friday, June 4…all gigs from 10 PM to 2 AM.
In calmer waters and maybe so parents can have their fun and eat it too, Hay Fever caters to 'tots, teens and inbetweens' (May 29 to June 6).
What's on this family friendly program:
"Discover how to pen
a novel, train a
dragon, cook a feast, become a superstar dj, tell
a story, wield a
samurai sword, defuse
a bomb, rock a stadium, save
endangered animals, kill
a zombie, solve a crime
or direct a film.
Meet up with lots of your literary heroes, including Quentin
Blake, Cathy
Cassidy, Jacqueline
Wilson, Nick
Sharratt and Andy Stanton."
You can Download the Full Program and decide what you'll enjoy or check what you'll miss.
The Festival full name is Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts and I mention it as Hay Festival Wales because what started in Hay has now like Womad spread to 9 other locales from Belfast to the Maldives.
I wrote about Hay Cartagena 2009 in Sea, Books and Sun…