Natalie Haynes at literary festivals

Last checked: 28 October 2026

Natalie Haynes writes and broadcasts about the classical world, bringing women, goddesses and monsters into the centre of familiar stories. Her work includes fiction, non-fiction, radio and live performance. The Hay Festival appearance described here was a recording of her BBC Radio 4 programme. Her announced 2027 tour offers further opportunities to hear her, with each venue and organiser named in her diary.

Quick facts

Best known for: Classical retellings and BBC radio performance
Genre or subject: Classical fiction and non-fiction
Latest book: No Friend to This House (2025)
2026 festivals: Hay Festival

About Natalie Haynes

Haynes is a writer and broadcaster whose books reconsider the stories inherited from ancient Greece. Her own biography includes The Children of Jocasta, A Thousand Ships, Pandora’s Jar, Stone Blind and Divine Might. A Thousand Ships was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020.

She is also the presenter of Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics on BBC Radio 4. That part of her career makes performance relevant when choosing between event formats. A radio recording, a staged show and a chaired conversation can organise the same broad interest in different ways.

Her bibliography includes both invented narratives and explanatory non-fiction. Check which kind of book you are choosing. A novel can place you inside one version of a story, while non-fiction can examine how different versions have survived and changed. Reading one of each can give you questions about the choices involved without requiring a prior course in ancient literature.

Think about which aspect interests you most: the surviving ancient account, a later interpretation or the act of retelling it now. A question could explore whose viewpoint a familiar summary leaves out, or what happens when several sources disagree. Separate a character’s actions in a myth from the author’s decision about how to narrate them. That gives a discussion room to develop without asking for a single definitive version of every story.

For a future visit, look at the format as closely as the title. A touring show can be a different choice from a conversation with an interviewer, even when both refer to classical stories. Let the event’s own description guide your expectations about the live experience.

Where to start with their books

No Friend to This House

This novel retells the story of Medea, Jason and the voyage for the Golden Fleece. Medea has the power to help a stranger, but choosing him places her relationship with her own family and home at stake. The book offers a route into questions about who controls a familiar myth and whose choices seem understandable. It was first published in September 2025. Read it to consider how the familiar voyage changes when Medea’s decisions become central.

Stone Blind

Medusa is the sole mortal among her Gorgon sisters. Actions by Poseidon and Athene change her life, and Perseus’ quest brings another perspective to the story. Reading the novel can lead to a question about the word “monster”: who applies it, and what the label permits others to do. You do not need to resolve that question before an event. Notice how your judgement changes when a familiar account gives attention to someone usually encountered through another character’s adventure.

A Thousand Ships

The Trojan War and its aftermath are told through women, girls and goddesses. The opening follows Creusa as Troy burns, before the consequences spread across a wider world. This offers a different scale from a novel centred on one figure. Consider how several perspectives can sit together without becoming interchangeable. A festival question about selecting those voices can connect narrative form with the underlying myths while leaving space for readers who have not completed the book.

Divine Might

This non-fiction book turns to the goddesses of Greek myth, including Athene, Aphrodite, Hera, Demeter, Artemis and Hestia, as well as the Muses and Furies. Their power and conflicting desires supply the subject. Choose it to explore Haynes’ explanatory writing alongside the novels. Comparing the two forms can prompt a question about how an author separates analysing a surviving story from entering it imaginatively and supplying a character’s voice.

Festival appearances

For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.

2026

Natalie Haynes: featured events in 2026
Festival	Date	Event and venue	Official source
Hay Festival	23 May 2026	BBC Radio 4: Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics Exchange Marquee	Official listing

What their events are like

Hay’s programme included BBC Radio 4: Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics on 23 May 2026 at 14:30, in the Exchange Marquee. The description explained that it was a performance drawing on a figure from the ancient world. The event has finished; its official page provides 2026 event details.

A performance made for radio has its own shape and purpose. Read a new event’s description before assuming it will follow the same format or focus on the same subject.

Where to see them next

Haynes’ official diary has announced Natalie Haynes: Irresistible Monster at Faversham Literary Festival on 27 February 2027, with the venue still to be announced, and Cambridge Junction on 28 February. It also includes Leicester Square Theatre in London on 1 March at 19:00, followed by further March dates. Use the tour page for the complete current diary and the individual organisers’ information.

The Cambridge date is at Junction, separate from Cambridge Literary Festival. No 2027 Hay appearance has been announced yet. The publisher announced the similarly named book Irresistible Monsters for 4 March 2027; check the publisher for current release details.

Plan your trip

Our Hay festival and stay guides cover the setting of the 2026 appearance. For a new tour booking, plan around its actual venue instead of borrowing another festival’s travel assumptions.

Before reserving accommodation, check the date, start time and organiser handling tickets. A city name can cover several venues, each with its own approach and access details. If a venue is still to be announced, keep the reservation flexible enough to review once it is named.

Allow time for food and the return after the show. If you are travelling with someone interested in a different event, compare both journeys before selecting one shared base. Put essential room requirements directly to the accommodation, and keep the answer with the booking. The starting point is the visit you will make and the building on your ticket.

Hay Festival: festival guide · Where to stay · 2027 programme

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History festivals

Your questions about Natalie Haynes

What is the next book’s announced date?

The publisher announced Irresistible Monsters for 4 March 2027. No Friend to This House is the latest novel described here.

Does the Cambridge tour date mean Cambridge Literary Festival?

The official diary names Cambridge Junction for that booking. Use its own event details and journey information; the literary festival has a separate programme and venues.

Which book should I choose before seeing her?

Follow the subject of the announced session. A novel and a non-fiction title can provide different kinds of preparation, but an entire backlist is unnecessary for choosing one event.

Is the Hay recording still forthcoming?

It took place in May 2026. Use the diary for new appearances and confirm tickets through the organiser named for each one, including its date and venue.