The former Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Court Theatre turned author on how theatre and literature can help bridge the gap between intolerance and empathy.

The author, poet and disability activist, on what happens when you lock a quarter of the population out of the countryside.

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch on why we must protect the art of in-person conversation as the ultimate antidote to a digital world of algorithms and isolation

The DJ and founder of throwback night Supa Dupa Fly on breaking into a male‑dominated world and the roadblocks still facing women and mothers in the music industry.

The Lovebox founder and Hot Blood DJ, Jools Butterfield, reflects on the erosion of compassion, the crisis facing 16‑ to‑24‑year‑olds and why boredom is a silent threat to mental health.

Marking 20 years since his first headline tour, the folk‑punk veteran explains why he's sceptical of celebrity activism, the causes he champions from the inside, and the two rules his gigs always follow.

The UK-born, New Zealand-raised, musician who toured with Harry Styles on why playing to three people in a forest is more meaningful than playing to a crowd of thousands.

The poet and author on why more us should interrogate things society tells us are normal.

The Nigerian-British novelist and writer on growing up between Lagos and London, the loss of community in the UK, and why societies only change when children are taught to imagine lives beyond their own.

The businesswoman, broadcaster, author, and activist on community, consumerism and why buying less is the most radical choice we have.

The Russian political activist and Pussy Riot member on life under Putin, how repression works, and the cost of dissent in Russia.

The actor, artist and campaigner on polluted rivers, the race to save wild salmon and why most activism should always begin with a story