Hay Festival and The Wild Detectives bookshop have today unveiled the programme for the second annual Hay Forum Dallas, themed “Pushing Boundaries”, 7-8 September in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Coinciding with the festival’s Mexican edition in Querétaro (5-8 September), this two-day Hay Forum will celebrate some of the best writers of North and South America at a time of rising political tensions, tackling the biggest issues of the moment, from migration and borders, to misogyny and gender inequality.
Confirmed speakers include Canadian novelist Miriam Toews, Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza, and US writer Leni Zumas talking “War on Women”; staff writer for The New Yorker Jon Lee Anderson and US author Ben Fountain talking “Journalism & Politics”; Salvadorian journalist Oscar Martinez, and US journalists Dianne Solis and John Gibler talking “Migration, Borders and Violence in America”; Mexican linguist Yásnaya Elena Aguilar and guests discussing “Language, Activism and Indigenous Communities?”; and Mexican poet Luis Felipe Fabre talking “Bending The Boundaries of Poetry and Narrative.”
After dark, live music and DJ sets keep the celebrations going into the small hours at The Wild Detectives independent bookstore bar.
Javier Garcia del Moral, owner of The Wild Detectives, said: “We’re excited to be bringing the Hay Festival magic back to Dallas, TX. After last year’s sell-out event we’ve added an extra day of sessions and a thrilling programme of writers who can offer new perspectives on the world we live in and interrogate the different directions we can take going forward.”
Cristina Fuentes La Roche, international director of Hay Festivals, said: “Dallas is the perfect addition to our global calendar of events – an open-hearted crossroads city bridging south to north. We’re honoured to partner The Wild Detectives to bring our Festival writers to a US audience and celebrate the value of cultural exchange. There’s never been a more urgent time to promote dialogue, and writers have a unique ability to reveal universal truths. Join us.”
Explore the full programme of events at The Wild Detectives, and book tickets, here.
Last year’s inaugural Hay Forum Dallas celebrated the Festival’s Bogotá39 selection of the best Latin American writers under 40 with authors showcased in a new anthology of work, out now.
Meanwhile, the 14th Hay Festival edition in Mexico, Hay Festival Querétaro, will offer up a blend of Nobel laureates, award-winning writers and journalists, global policy makers and innovators leading an international programme spanning 90 events over four days, 5-8 September.
The power of fiction, the vibrancy of indigenous literature, and the biggest issues facing Mexico and the wider region today are explored in events featuring more than 140 speakers and performers including novelist Michael Ondaatje, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Juan Manuel Santos, historian Sarah Churchwell, writer Vivian Abenshushan, author Eva Baltasar, actor and director Diego Luna, former advisor to Barack Obama, Ben Rhodes, explorer Erling Kagge, and activist Izzeldine Abuelaish, plus late-night entertainment from The Wutang Clan’s U-God, Radio Futura singer Santiago Auserón, and founding member of The Cure, Lol Tolhurst. Find out more here.
Hay Festival events in Spanish and English can be rediscovered anywhere in the world on Hay Player via a newly launched subscription service offering the world’s greatest writers on film and audio for £10/€10 per year.