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Hollie McNish: We pretend we’re free, but we follow rules we never chose
The poet and author on why more us should interrogate things society tells us are normal.
Oyinkan Braithwaite: After food and shelter, the next essential thing a child should receive is access to books
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.
Mary Portas: Every pound spent is a vote for the world you want
The businesswoman, broadcaster, author, and activist on community, consumerism and why buying less is the most radical choice we have.
Maria Alyokhina: Dictators will always do two things when they want more power – oppress women and ban jokes
The Russian political activist and Pussy Riot member on life under Putin, how repression works, and the cost of dissent in Russia.
James Murray: The simplest and most powerful thing anyone can do is to take the story and pass it on
The actor, artist and campaigner on polluted rivers, the race to save wild salmon and why most activism should always begin with a story
Hamsa Yassin: My dream is that kids could name five trees before they can name five Kardashians
The wildlife cameraman, Strictly champion and children’s TV presenter on how modern life is squeezing the curiosity out of children too early.
Antony Szmierek: Creativity feels magic to me, something powerful and frightening to the people who need to be frightened
The musician on sensitivity, censorship and why power always fears the arts.
Billy Bragg: If you don’t make a pitch for inclusivity around the space we call England, you leave it open to the far right
The punk legend on accountability, the dangers of cynicism, and protecting Englishness from the far right.
Victoria Bateman: If every woman had the ability to control her own fertility, the world would be a very different place
The historian and Cambridge economist on the myths that erased women from history, the “tradwife” revival, and how control over women’s lives shapes economies.
Nick Mulvey: I didn’t want to be the chief of my life anymore
The UK singer-songwriter on childhood, family, prayer, and the practices that have helped him find his way back to music and to himself.
Theresa Lola: Poetry can transport you to places you’ve never been in ten lines. It’s emotion compressed
The Nigerian British award winning poet on poetry as a way to reclaim language, connect with heritage, and ask questions that don’t need neat answers.
Marcus Brigstocke: It started to bother me that testosterone, a hormone in my body, has become shorthand for something bad
The British comedian on fatherhood, mental health, male identity and the appeal of figures like Andrew Tate.
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