'Don’t be afraid to ask people for help along the way and be persistent... If you want to carve out a career in the creative and cultural industries, then you will make it happen'

Barbara Matthews MBE has had a long and illustrious career in the arts, and has now worked in the education sector for over five years. We talk about her highlights, the struggles, and what changes she has seen in the industry.

Loki brings an impressive blend of music, comedy and spoken word together while maintaining an intelligent commentary on social mobility, class and identity.

A fascinating discussion of Kaufman’s book, Black Tudors, and the parts of history we’ve lost or forgotten

Ian Black, former Middle East correspondent and editor for The Guardian, discussed his new book, Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 with Raja Shehadeh

A fiercely feminist fairytale retelling.

What's new in fiction for August? Check out what to add to your summer reading list. 

There’s a saying in the autism community: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” There’s a serious humour at the heart of it, a wilful contradiction of logic spoken with an eyebrow raised that asks for change. It speaks to the frustration felt by autistic individuals who have seen the story of their identity told through harmful medical hypothesising, misguided neurotypical guesswork and deeply entrenched stereotyping – and usually by people who are not autistic.

The exuberant Dandy Darkly continues to demonstrate his prowess as a raconteur with a very thinly veiled critique of American culture.

An intriguing mish-mash of energetic dialogue and spoken word portrays this often amusing story of an unreliable narcissist who just doesn’t know themselves as well as they think they do. 

Owen Jenkins is performing in ‘David Baddiel's Animalcolm’ with Story Pocket Theatre. Read what the show is about, what advice Owen wishes he'd received when entering the industry, and what tips he offers to those heading up to the Fringe

Aimee Wilkinson, Head of Artistic Development for Writing East Midlands, talks about developing literature in the local community, how creative writing can help with social isolation and running projects from conferences to workshops with refugees.