The assessment panel will include members of the Hay Festival and Literature Wales team, and Tiffany Murray – the curator and leader of the programme. We will be looking for innovation, passion, and a clear focus in terms of your ambitions and aspiration as a writer.

The assessment will focus on bringing together a diverse and representative group of writers in terms of geography, writing experience, languages, and any lived experience noted in the application that will present a new perspective into Welsh writing.

We will contact all applicants in the week beginning 8 May 2023.

The programme will be an intense immersion in professional writer development and will start at 10.00 am on Saturday 27 May on site at the Festival, and come to an end on Saturday 3 June. Each day will be different, and will feature talks, workshops, visits to the Festival events and more. Further information on the structure and content of the week will be provided as soon as possible beforehand. You will meet several guest readers, speakers, facilitators and industry representatives during the week.

You will receive your meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on the Festival site in the crew catering facility every day. There will be provision for those with food allergies and/or dietary requirements. Coffee, tea and other drinks will be available throughout the day. Please note you will have to pay for any other food or drink purchased outside of crew catering, workshop or Green Room facilities.

We will reimburse out of pocket expenses for one return journey to the Festival.

This includes:

• Standard Return Rail Fare
• Coach or Bus Return Fares
• Mileage @ 45pp mile

Expenses could be a combination of the above i.e. a train and bus ticket. We can purchase tickets in advance for you, otherwise please retain a receipt, or complete a form for mileage and your travel costs will be reimbursed when you arrive at the Festival.

Participants will be allocated accommodation in houses in Hay on Wye or the surrounding area, depending on availability. Unfortunately, accommodation can be scarce during the Festival period and we are unable to guarantee ensuite rooms.

Unfortunately, due to the short assessment timeframe and the high volume of applications we will receive, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. However, with your permission as outlined in the application form GDPR Consent section, Hay Festival and Literature Wales may contact you again to mention further opportunities.

The programme welcomes writers writing in English, Welsh and other languages. However the majority of the programme itself will be delivered through the medium of English.

The Hay Festival and Literature Wales teams are available to discuss any concerns and requirements before and throughout the course. The Festival site is fully accessible for wheelchair users and performance venues are fitted with induction loops. Guide dogs are permitted. Please contact us to discuss accessibility, and we will invite all successful writers to send an Access Rider in advance of the Festival week.

We are mainly looking for emerging and mid-career writers with potential. You don’t necessarily need much previous experience of writing, only good ideas and a positive and determined attitude. Like any other craft, writing can be challenging and requires a lot of effort and attention. This course will help you develop the toolkit you need to start, and continue on your journey as a writer.

However, if you are already an experienced writer, for example you might have published your own pamphlet or a book, you might still find that there are barriers which prevent you from reaching your full potential, or you might want to experiment with a different literary form or language. Everyone will have a different definition of what experience means, and where they believe themselves to be on their journey as a writer.