Hanan Issa just surpassed the Midway Milestone in her five years as a Welsh National Poet.

She grew up saying she never considered writing a viable career: “My working class grew up in the council house and for me it was not an option.”

But with the 11-day Hay Festival ending Sunday, she praised organizers for providing a space for people from marginalized backgrounds that traditionally "very white middle-class space."

Hay Festival Global describes itself as an “anti-polarization antidote”, bringing together “a diverse voice of listening, talking, debate and creating” that addresses the greatest political, social and environmental challenges of our time.

After graduating from Cardiff University, she studied English literature there, where Hanan considered teaching to be her only reasonable career, but knew it was not her profession and had already had some experience in the field.

"I was the first person in my family to go to college, so I felt pressured to be considered 'right job'," the 39-year-old said.

Hanan continues to work in the volunteer department and expects a lifelong career in social service.

Until 2016, then Prime Minister David Cameron said some Muslim women were not integrated into British society and did not learn English.

Hanan said, "(He) is so ignorant...I'm like 'Well, hello! We're here you know'."

It was the catalyst that transformed Hanan's writings from personal to public, writing spoken words she posted online.

Since then, poetry – which she only did for herself, or gifts for her loved one’s birthday and wedding – has become something she publicly shares to connect with others.

Hanan, a selected writer, joined the writer for the work programme at the Hay Festival, which opened seven years ago in Powys township, aims to support emerging Welsh talent.

She described the 10-day workshops and events as “eye-opening” that helps unveil the publishing process and is full of confidence from the writer.

She said: "If it was just one-off, I would say that was a chance token. But it wasn't one."

Some of Hanan's holiday highlights this year include Mona Chalabi, a data journalist who saw Pulitzer Prize in conversations and Kehhinde Andrews, the first professor of black studies in the UK.

The poet said throughout this year's visit that she noticed "more headscarves."

“In a very shallow aesthetic way, for me, walk into a space and look around and see what the population is natural,” she said.

“I rarely look around and see the hijab in the literary space, and that’s cute.”

She said the children were very excited to write a poem at one of her live events.

“If kids are still excited about books, that’s hope,” she said.

“Hopefully we need to drive any progress and kind curiosity in this world.”

For Jade Bradford from Hertfordshire, attending Hay Festival is a lifelong dream.

As a communication and engagement manager for social housing providers in South Wales, writing is Jade’s second job.

Every year when her father bought newspapers, she grew up seeing the Hay Festival supplement from The Guardian, and this year she attended work.

"Publishing, sometimes it feels like a closed door, and it's hard to know who you need to talk to, what you actually need, how to get an agent," the 39-year-old said.

She said if audiences at events like Hay Festival are not representative, they may not know that their books are not diverse enough, or that "they need to hear other voices."

Jade added that the festival’s efforts to interact with Tiktokers attracted young audiences and providing space for all sounds is “really making a difference.”

“I see young people, people with racial diversity, there are a lot of really good queer representations happening… It’s really important,” she said.

“We see a more modern Wales that may be represented without losing this classic literary approach.

“We have a truly rich literary national history, there is nothing wrong with the middle class, there is nothing wrong with real literary writing like classic books.

"There is one place for all of our different types of writing. It's the most important thing."

Jade's highlights of the week at Hay will see curator, writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun "talks about black history in the black voice" while another outstanding man participated in a speech with the writers of the film Mr Burton.

She said that if someone told her childhood self, she could go somewhere to meet the writer, breathe the same air as Jacqueline Wilson, and then become a writer in the future, "her head will explode."

This year is also the first time Rhys Thomas has at Hay Festival.

He first met him while working at the local festival at 16, watching the poet John Cooper Clarke take the stage on stage.

"I just didn't realize that poetry and literature might have that primitive advantage," he said.

"He's funny, he swears. He's a rock star, he uses poetry instead of guitar solo."

Rhys, a journalist from Laugharne, Carmason County, said he didn't start to immerse himself in books and writing until he moved to the UK to attend college.

The 28-year-old described the literary world as "very elite" and said it could be "estranged and inaccessible".

He said: “I don’t have any books in the room.

"As time goes by, it gives me a lot of self-doubt and confidence issues, especially around me, can I play a role in the world as a writer? And in a larger way, it's a conflict with the person I should be."

Rhys has been writing for a year and a half, and before applying for a competing writers work program, he said he “does not believe in himself.”

He said the program is “very comprehensive”, with eight hours of activities a day, helping to develop writing skills and tailor-made for all 10 emerging writers on the cohort.

Rhys, who has filled his 125-page A6 notepad during the program, said he was "one of the lucky ones who spent about 10 days and really felt that we could be in this world without breaking our bank account".

He added: “Even on a practical level, I hope that when I scribble when I die at night, it’s not a pointless effort.”

Hanan said she has now reached a point in her life: “When you feel that the space does not contain or open to you, you are the one who opens that door and wedges into the door stop below.”

She added: "If you can, do it because you open that door and wedge in that door, which means others can walk past after you."