Rabih Alameddine, author of The Hakawati, gets nervous on a whirlwind tour of England, Ireland and Scotland, spends evenings filled with wine, poetry and song at Colm Toibin's house and battles endless, endless rain.

Nicholas Hogg, award-winning author of Show Me the Sky, takes a holiday from writing to brave the cows at camp bestival, run the papparazzi gauntlet out in Soho (blame Rhys Ifans) and meet the original Mr Nice.

Charles Boyle, poet, publisher, and now award-winning novelist, recounts the week that saw him collect the McKitterick prize for his first novel 24 for 3, and blow his cover as the man behind Jennie Walker.

Mohammed Hanif, another of the 'Hay 21', is the author of A Case Exploding Of Mangoes. He writes of his problems finding a Pakistani publisher willing to publish his book despite its inflammatory nature, being a 'Capote nut' and doing 'manly crafts' with his ten year old son.

Sarah Hall, author of the Electric Michelangelo and The Carhullan Army, writes of a week of manic publicity, work on her new novel and fielding questions about skinny-dipping.