Taking Ideas into the Open: HowTheLightGetsIn, Hay-on-Wye

 

In May, I’ll be participating in HowTheLightGetsIn, the philosophy and ideas festival in Hay‑on‑Wye — a place where thinking happens in public, arguments unfold in the open air, and conversations often continue long after the formal events end.

I’ve written this blog as a way of reflecting on what it means to take part in a festival like this: one that deliberately brings academic, philosophical, and cultural debates out of enclosed spaces and into shared, questioning territory. HowTheLightGetsIn isn’t about tidy conclusions, but about risk, uncertainty, and the generative potential of disagreement.

The post explores why these spaces matter now, how interdisciplinary dialogue reshapes the way we articulate ideas, and what it feels like to step into a forum where thinking is not only performed, but collectively negotiated.

Hay‑on‑Wye has long been associated with books and ideas; this festival intensifies that spirit, reminding us that knowledge lives through conversation, challenge, and encounter.

So... the all of the  above was written by Ai...  Interesting times we do live in... I will be attending the festival and taking part in a debate on: 

 Friday 22nd May, 19:00  - Desire and Danger in the Age of Self Love.

I hope to bring together my work surrounding research on sexuality, identity, technology with emerging developments such as Ai  and creativity amongst other concepts. It should be a lively debate.... visit the link to book your visit!

https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/hay