Writer, disability justice organiser and LGBTQ+ campaigner Ellen Jones joins VOICEBOX to discuss why visibility alone has never guaranteed equality.

In this conversation, Ellen explores how queer and trans communities are being excluded not only through politics and legislation, but through culture itself - from publishing and journalism to public space, accessibility and media narratives.

Topics include:

• Why visibility does not guarantee equality

• How publishing and media are retreating from queer stories

• The disappearance of queer public spaces

• What meaningful solidarity and allyship looks like

• How culture shapes whose lives are considered valuable

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Working at the intersection of disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence and LGBTQ+ identity, Charli is known for translating lived experience into practical, usable guidance. In this episode, they challenge the gap between access as a promise and access as a lived reality, particularly across healthcare, education and everyday life. 

Topics include: 

• The realities of healthcare inequality and access barriers 
• Living at the intersection of non-binary identity, disability and neurodivergence 
• What meaningful inclusion and allyship looks like in practice 
• Why systems often fail people with multiple marginalised identities 
• How misunderstanding and misinformation impact real lives

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This episode examines how climate narratives often exclude the communities most affected by environmental destruction, and why imagination is a powerful tool for shaping a more just future.

The conversation challenges traditional environmentalism and asks what a truly inclusive climate movement might look like.

Topics include:

• Why marginalised communities have faced environmental harm for generations

• The power of arts and culture to support climate action

• The myth that environmentalism isn’t for Black communities

• The role of imagination in climate solutions

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From stop and search powers to protest legislation, this episode examines how legal literacy shapes our ability to challenge authority and defend civil liberties.

The conversation also reflects on growing up Black in post-Stephen Lawrence Britain and why distrust between institutions and communities continues to shape modern policing.

Topics include:

• Stop and search powers in the UK

• The difference between stop and account vs stop and search

• How new protest laws affect civil liberties

• Institutional racism and policing

• Why legal education is missing from schools

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From taboo subjects to everyday life, they explore how poetry can help people articulate experiences that often go unspoken.

The conversation also examines the role of live spaces, community poetry rooms and grassroots venues in shaping cultural belonging – and why poetry doesn’t have to be political to matter.

Poets Hollie McNish and Laurie Bolger join VOICEBOX to discuss why poetry remains a vital space for honesty, connection and expression.

From taboo subjects to everyday life, they explore how poetry can help people articulate experiences that often go unspoken.

The conversation also examines the role of live spaces, community poetry rooms and grassroots venues in shaping cultural belonging – and why poetry doesn’t have to be political to matter.

Topics include:

• Why poetry helps people talk about taboo topics

• How poetry can be political, or not at all

• Why poetry shouldn’t feel elite or inaccessible

• The importance of small live spaces for creativity

• How poetry helped build their friendship

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Learn more about VOICEBOX at cheltenhamfestivals.org/voicebox-podcast

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After an image of her arrest at the Sarah Everard vigil spread around the world in 2021, Patsy found herself suddenly thrust into the centre of a global conversation about protest, policing and women’s safety.

Reflecting on that moment now, she explores what happens when someone loses control of their story online. “To go viral is to have no control over your story, the narrative of what’s happened to you.”

The conversation also looks ahead to the future of tech and AI, and why ethical innovation requires greater diversity in the people building it.

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