LONDON: This year, the Hay Festival celebrates its 25th year. This annual gathering of writers was described by Bill Clinton as “the Woodstock of the mind”, and brings together a host of well-known authors and journalists from around the world to discuss a wide range of ideas. Spread over 10 days, it is located next to the picturesque town of Hay-on-Wye on the border of Wales and England.

According to a press release, two Pakistanis have been invited this year to speak at the festival. Mohammed Hanif, author of The Case of the Exploding Mangoes and Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, will be discussing his work in a session called Fiction – Collisions.

In a session on freedom of expression in the Subcontinent, Dawn columnist Irfan Husain, author of Fatal Faultlines: Pakistan, Islam and the West, will talk about censorship, the problems impeding free and open discussion, and the impact of technology.

The event’s website is at www.hayfestival.org