Maggie Nelson: ‘I was overwhelmed with grief when Prince died’

The American author of The Argonauts on her latest collection of essays, how the Purple Rain star shaped her sexual development and the risks she takes in her writing

Fran Lebowitz: ‘I am very angry. I’m angry almost all the time’

The famously sardonic American author, public speaker and actor on happiness, bad ideas and the life-boosting nature of friendship

Anita Desai: ‘After I left India, I had to train myself to express my opinions’

At 87, the Indian author has been shortlisted for the Booker prize three times, and has written her first novel in a decade. She talks about leaving India to teach and write around the world – and feeling like a stranger everywhere

‘Guess what? Mummy is a sex worker’: the sexologist who wants to build a ‘slutopia’ for women

Dr Hilary Caldwell’s new book Slutdom looks at how women navigate sex and shame, and at all ages. She shares what she’s learned as both a sex worker and as an academic

‘I was nervous. Worried. Insecure. I just didn’t feel safe’: Rachel Stevens on her life in S Club 7

She has topped the charts and been called the world’s sexiest woman, while also being stricken with anxiety. She discusses Paul Cattermole, therapy and finding her strength

Pamela Allen on Mr McGee and turning 90: ‘I’ve always known what I’m doing is good’

From Who Sank the Boat? to Alexander’s Outing, Allen’s picture books are beloved. But after losing her husband she’s written a new book to ‘re-establish my sense of worth’

Conservationist Isabella Tree: ‘Rewilding is vital for the UK’s agricultural future’

The farmer and author on allowing nature to transform and restore our ecology – and how the best way to measure progress is through dung beetles

Sulaiman Addonia: ‘I’m taking writing back to the rock’n’roll era!’

The Eritrean-Ethiopian-British novelist on childhood trauma and its effect on his work, the importance of sex in stories and paying homage to your imagination

‘Don’t read just one book about Sri Lanka’: VV Ganeshananthan on her civil war novel

Women’s prize for fiction winner tells story of a family caught up in conflict in her second novel, Brotherless Night

Naomi Klein: ‘Nobody’s perfect – but that’s not an excuse for doing nothing’

The Doppelganger writer and winner of the Women’s prize for nonfiction on the war in Gaza, current credibility of the left and posters for her book being torn down in London

‘I didn’t discover rationality until I went to England’: Neil Jordan on Tom Cruise, sandwich-boarding and seeing his dad’s ghost

Warring with Harvey Weinstein, marvelling at Tom Cruise, realising Mona Lisa and many other films were about himself … the great Irish director looks back on his astonishing career

‘I wouldn’t call it a victory’: Fossil Free Books organisers on Baillie Gifford’s exit from literary festival funding

Despite its role in bringing the asset manager’s sponsorships to an end, the activist group has faced criticism that ‘not a dime has been divested from fossil fuels’. Four of its campaigners speak out

Ukrainian author turned soldier Oleksandr Mykhed: ‘This is not Putin’s war. This is a war waged by the whole Russian nation’

In 2022, the writer was living an ordinary life with his wife in Kyiv. Now, after fleeing his home and volunteering for the army, he’s written a powerful account of the past two years

‘They didn’t dwell on it – they felt so many had suffered more’: Mishal Husain on her family history and the partition of India

In her new book, written around 3am starts for Radio 4’s Today, the BBC presenter turns her gaze from the daily grind of British politics to her grandparents’ lucky escape

Sunday with Jacqueline Wilson: ‘It’s called the South Downs, but it mostly seems to be up’

The author on an early start, eggs by the dozen and Jeremy Clarkson’s piglets