Hay Festival Ciudad de México 2015

Divided into five sections, with an opening and an ending in the anime tradition, the poems of Paola Llamas Dinero explore the sensations that occur when fiction forms an essential part of our lives. Through language based on words, images and signs, characteristic of the street, television and Internet, the author examines our relationship with the world of fiction through anime, manga and the social media. She will ask how imaginary worlds determine many of our feelings and identities. She also wonders, if we are constantly relating to characters who do not exist, watching a series or scrolling through stories on Instagram, whether we can really form links with other people. In conversation with Yudi Martínez.

The guest at this event is a pioneer with great achievements. She was the first Peruvian woman to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), and to climb the six highest peaks on the other continents She is also the first openly LGTBI+ person to reach the seven summits. Silvia Vásquez-Lavado tells her story in the book In the Shadow of the Mountain, winner of the Stanford Travel Book of the Year. In it, the author tells of these milestones, as well as a past of trauma and excess, of alcoholism and promiscuous sex, and before this, childhood abuse. Vásquez-Lavado reveals how an ayahuasca ceremony helped her to connect to the mountains. It is part of her story that she undertakes her expeditions together with other victims of sexual abuse, as part of the Courageous Girls project, founded in 2014. She will talk to Isabel Posadas about her activism, her memories and about the film that is currently being made.

The writer, historian and activist Rebecca Solnit is an important voice when it comes to matters such as feminism, environmental and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, walking and wandering, hope and catastrophe. She is the author of over 25 books, including the anthology she co-edited in 2023, Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, as well as Orwell’s Roses, Hope in the Dark, Men Explain Things to Me, A Paradise Built in Hell and A Field Guide to Getting Lost. She writes regularly for The Guardian and is on the board of the climate group Oil Change International. On this occasion she will talk about her work with the communicator Gabriela Warkentin.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

One of the founding members and the bassist with the most legendary group in the history of punk, the Sex Pistols, comes to Queretaro to tell us about his musical history. Glen Matlock (United Kingdom) made a decisive contribution to the sound and image of the Sex Pistols, and co-wrote many of their iconic songs, including "Anarchy in the UK" and "God Save the Queen". Since then, Matlock has continued his musical career, working with various artists, and releasing music as a soloist and with his own band, Rich Kids, and also writing the musical autobiography Triggers, a Life in Music. In conversation with Mariana H.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Esta charla forma parte de la serie de parejas literarias del Hay Festival y el British Council; como parte del proyecto, cada “pareja literaria” repetirá su charla en el Hay Festival de Gales 2025. Con Hind Hassan (Reino Unido/Irak), periodista que cubre con regularidad noticias internacionales para medios como Al Jazeera, Vice o Skynews, y Marcela Turati (México) periodista que forma parte Periodistas de a Pie, galardonada con numerosos premios por sus investigaciones y autora de varios libros, entre ellos el premiado San Fernando: última parada. En conversación con el fotoperiodista Héctor Guerrero.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Kailash Satyarthi (India) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his work against child exploitation. He has rescued tens of thousands of children from slavery. An example of effective activism that has changed lives. In conversation with Mario Arriagada.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Henry Marsh is a renowned British writer and retired neurosurgeon. He is the author of, among other books, And Finally. Matters of Life and Death, which tells of his own experience as a cancer patient. At this event he will talk about the principles and goals of palliative care, and about the challenges and opportunities that currently exist in terms of a dignified death, offering advice and recommendations to help patients and their loved ones face this difficult stage of life with dignity and compassion. In conversation with Mariana H.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

The cultural activities that arise from community ties feed back into a strengthening of these communities, creating a positive impact on their inhabitants and facilitating the work of creators and artists. At this event, we will find out about three artistic community projects from three countries, which can help to create a route map for initiatives that have such positive effects on our communities. Alejandra Claros, General Secretary of CAF, talks to Reinaldo Mijares from 100% San Agustín (Venezuela), Komunitas KAHE (Indonesia), and Israel Nieves from La Otra Banda (Mexico).

Simultaneous translation from Bahasa to Spanish available

The writers Nuria Pérez (Spain) and Olivia Teroba (Mexico) explore the powerful impact of writing in the lives of characters, as well as in their own, highlighting its ability to offer support with regard to social pressures, create authentic connections and find a path that identifies us. Nuria Pérez, from Galicia, Spain, is a writer, communicator and creative director, recipient of awards at festivals in New York and Cannes for her innovative campaigns; she is the creator of the successful podcast Gabinete de Curiosidades. Her book, No tocarás, illustrates the place of writing as a fundamental tool for resistance, communication and expression. Dinero y escritura, by Olivia Teroba (Tlaxcala), is a pragmatic approach to the challenges involved in the profession of writing. Teroba is the author of the books of autobiographical essay Un lugar seguro and Dinero y escritura, and her short stories have been included in various volumes published in Mexico, Spain, Chile and Argentina. In conversation with Elvira Liceaga.

This event promises to be a magical experience full of stories and laughter. We present an exciting puppet kamishibai of Mi abuelo se comió un reloj, a story by the puppeteer Raúl Ángeles, illustrated by Arturo Trejo Delgado and published by the Queretaro Municipality Department of Culture. This is an adventure where imagination and fun come together to make for an unforgettable performance. The author will guide us through the pages of his story, while the characters come alive before our eyes, becoming enchanting puppet figures.

Raúl Robin Morales is the creator of the animated short film El tigre sin rayas and of the illustrated book of the same name. In the story, we meet a little tiger from the savannah who, until the others, has no stripes. The young feline undertakes a journey to seek them, and finds other things on the way. At this event, we will watch the short film and discover the book that tells this beautiful story.

Colin Greenwood, the bass player with Radiohead, one of the world’s most popular rock bands, visits the Hay Festival in Queretaro to present How to Disappear, a kind of visual diary about Radiohead, created based on 20 years of photos in the band’s dressing rooms and rehearsal spaces and at concerts. The images are accompanied by the musician’s own texts, which offer a viewpoint onto the creation and execution of the music of Radiohead, in a kind of intimate portrait of one of the most influential bands in history. He will talk to a legend in his own right, the musician and bassist of bands such as Fobia and Moderatto, el Cha.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Najwan Darwish (Palestine) is a poet, journalist and literary critic, described by the New York Review of Books as “one of the foremost Arabic-language poets of his generation” and whose books have been translated into over 20 languages. He is the founder and director of a range of cultural and artistic projects, and he acts as the literary consultant for PalFest (the Palestine Literature Festival). He will talk about his two Spanish-language poetry collections, Exhausto en la cruz and Nada más que perder, with the BBC Mundo journalist, Valentina Oropeza, mixing conversation with poetry readings.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Three contemporary artists from different latitudes talk about their work. With the photographer Inès Bouallou (Morocco), the artist Soukaina Joual, the theatre collective Story Zetu & Too Early for Birds (Kenya), and the artist, activist and presenter Guz Guevara (Mexico). In conversation with Ester Bautista Botello.

Simultaneous translation from English and French available

An event about why it is so important to educate, talk and legislate on the subject of mental health, at which three festival guests will speak about how to prevent, heal and use creativity to boost mental health. With the writers Amalia Andrade (Colombia), Montse Bizarro (Spain) and Silvia Vásquez Lavado (Peru), who, in conversation with Claudia Ivonne Hernández, will share their experiences and reflections about this matter, so important to all of us.

Libraries and archives, repositories of history… and of histories, in plural. At this event, we start from the idea of how non-hegemonic history, in the Mexican case particularly the history of native peoples, has been researched through the existence of extraordinary archives. With Baruc Martínez Díaz (Chinampero people of San Pedro Tláhuac), historian, translator, poet, teacher and author of Faustino Chimalpopoca Galicia. Un intelectual indígena en el México decimonónico, a work that shows us the existence, continuity and scope of the indigenous intellectual tradition in Mexico. And with Javier Eduardo Ramírez López (Mexico), who works with the Teotihuacan Diocese and Chalco Valley Archives, where 4,000 documents are being digitalized; these documents, in Náhuatl and colonial Spanish, cover the period from the first decades of colonialism to Independence. Both will talk to the Zoque thinker and academic Josefa Sánchez Contreras (Mexico).

Ekaterina Álvarez was born in Moscow and lives in Prague. She is the publisher and author of her first children’s book, ¿Dónde está Arte?. In this entertaining work, the writer takes us on a trip through some of Mexico City’s main museums (from the Anthropological Museum, to the University Museum of Contemporary Art, via Chapultepec Castle and the Museum of Modern Art) in search of the Treasure of the Bones, together with little Otta and her dog Artemio. However, in the blink of an eye, Arte gets lost, and we go together with Otta to find him. In conversation with Kenya Acosta.

The acclaimed Spanish writer will talk to Gabriela Warkentin about his most recent books. Javier Moro, one of the most read contemporary Spanish-language writers, is also a journalist and has worked as a scriptwriter and film producer in Hollywood. His books include Senderos de libertad (1992), El pie de Jaipur (1995), The Mountains of the Buddha (2009), Five Past Midnight in Bhopal (2002, written with Dominique Lapierre), Passion India (2007), The Red Sari (2015), El imperio eres tú (2011 Planeta Prize) and the recent Nos quieren muertos, which he will talk about at this event. This rigorous, frenetic work portrays the life of a figure who is central to understanding Venezuela today: Leopoldo López, who, after being jailed in 2014 because of his leading role in the mass protests against the Nicolás Maduro government, became a symbol for the struggle for democracy in the country.

Coinciding with the publication in Mexico of Sisters of the Yam, by the great African-American thinker bell hooks, we bring together three writers, all admirers of hooks, to talk about her work and the influence of her legacy. With Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe), international trade lawyer, and award-winning author of novels and short stories; her novel Out of Darkness, Shining Light tells the story of the Africans who travelled and worked with the legendary Doctor Livingstone, revealing the hypocrisy and deception of the colonial project. Jumko Ogata (Mexico) is a writer and anti-racist activist from Veracruz; she contributed to the anthology Tsunami II and is the author of the children’s book Mi pelo chino; she has also translated this edition of hooks’ work. They will talk to the writer Gabriela Jauregui.

Simultaneous translation from English to Spanish available

Two authors who have published new novels will talk to Gina Jaramillo. With Montse Bizarro (Spain), a graduate in Journalism and Humanities from the Pompeu Fabra University, who has worked for media outlets such as El Punt Avui and Europa Press, as well as in corporate communication. Her debut novel Mañana ya no hablaremos de nada talks about abusive and toxic relationships, with neurodivergent characters, showing how they challenge the imposed norms and seek to define their space in the world. Frida Cartas (Mexico), is from Mazatlán and describes herself as a housewife and part-time writer. A former presenter at the Instituto Mexicano de la Radio with the programme Altersexual (a sexual anthropology programme) on Radio Ciudadan, she gives workshops on sexual and reproductive rights for young people, with a class and gender perspective, and also works in the digital media. She is the author of the extraordinary novel Transporte a la infancia, which, using honest, colloquial language, recalls the scenes from her childhood in which she discovered and affirmed her identity, creating an essential testimony for the recognition of trans childhoods, bringing to light the urgency of guaranteeing respect, protection and freedom for trans children.

The guest at this event is a pioneer with great achievements. She was the first Peruvian woman to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), and to climb the six highest peaks on the other continents She is also the first openly LGTBI+ person to reach the seven summits. Silvia Vásquez-Lavado tells her story in the book In the Shadow of the Mountain, winner of the Stanford Travel Book of the Year. In it, the author tells of these milestones, as well as a past of trauma and excess, of alcoholism and promiscuous sex, and before this, childhood abuse. Vásquez-Lavado reveals how an ayahuasca ceremony helped her to connect to the mountains. It is part of her story that she undertakes her expeditions together with other victims of sexual abuse, as part of the Courageous Girls project, founded in 2014. Silvia Vásquez-Lavado will talk to Yuriria Sierra about her activism, her memories and about the film that is currently being made.

Two fascinating poets tell us about their recent work, in conversation with the literary critic Guillermo Núñez. With Garry Gottfriedson (Canada), poet, rancher and member of the Secwepemc community, who has just published Tierra y lenguaje, a representative sample of his poetry, published in bilingual format (English/Spanish). Poeta griego arcaico is the most recent book by Luis Felipe Fabre (Mexico), poet, fiction writer and dramatist, who returns to poetry after a number of years away, taking up the mythological story of Medusa and Perseus. This is a masterly retelling of ancient legends, bringing them into dialogue with us and our present, with a poetic language so precise and evocative that the images he sings will reverberate long in the minds of readers. Introduced by Ingrid Bejerman.

Julieta Norma Fierro Gossman is an astronomer, a member of the Academy of the Language, and a leading popular scientist. She also lectures at the Faculty of Sciences, researches with the Institute of Astronomy, and is General Manager of Scientific Communication at UNAM; she is also the former Director of the Universum museum. She has written hundreds of articles and over 40 books of popular science, telling the story of astronomy, the nature of the solar system... She has been recognised for her work with honorary doctorates, UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science, and an invitation to join the Mexican Academy of the Language.

Mexico has a female president for the first time in its history. Several guests at the festival, some of them participants in the book Presidenta. More than 100 women writers talk with the book's coordinator, journalist Yuriria Sierra, about the expectations of this new government. With Brenda Lozano, Mariana H, Gina Jaramillo and Jumko Ogata.

Patrick Autréaux (France) worked as an emergency psychiatrist for years, before devoting himself to writing in 2006. He is the author of a unique work which explores the relationships between medicine and literature, and here presents Pussyboy, about two men who have created a tacit agreement involving surprise sexual encounters, in the celebration of a ritual that is both ordinary and marvellous. He will talk to the writer and publisher Felipe Restrepo Pombo.

Simultaneous translation from French to Spanish available

Antonio Ortuño is a major voice in Mexican contemporary literature, and his fascinating body of work challenges conventions in forms of exploring social and political matters. In conversation with Javier Lafuente, Ortuño will talk about his novels, which tackle themes such as violence and corruption, satire of the corporate world, the migration routes of Central America, and dystopian perspectives on his country. Ortuño will also talk about the project Verdades compartidas, an anthology which, thanks to the Hay Festival and the Colombian International Centre for Transitional Justice, reimagines and tells the story of Colombia after the peace process, through the writings of ten Latin American figures. He will talk to the writer and journalist, Javier Lafuente.

The writer and violinist Jay Sandoval (Guatemala) has accumulated over 19 million readings on Wattpad of his saga, La teoría de Kim. A talented child, he learned to play the violin aged eight and aged 13 he went to the Guatemalan National School of Music. His passion for literature, with the aim of creating a safe place where readers can find themselves and feel free, has led him to publish his stories on digital platforms, creating an extensive community that advocates for the ideals of inclusion, authenticity and self-discovery. He will talk to Tere Alcántara.