This month, The Independent is turning 40 – and we’re thrilled to have Henley Literary Festival as part of our celebrations. We’re once again partnering with the festival as exclusive news partners, where we’ll be championing four decades of free thinking in conversations with writers who have brought about true change by daring to think boldly.

I’m delighted to be talking to Michael and Clare Morpurgo this Saturday (3rd) about their incredible work connecting schoolkids to the countryside with their charity Farms for City Children, and on Sunday (4th) Bel Trew, our Chief International Correspondent, will be speaking with Zahra Joya, who as a young Afghan schoolgirl disguised herself as a boy to gain access to education. Next week, I’ll be joined by Kate Mosse, who founded the Women’s Prize to lift up female authors.

Elsewhere, Theresa May will make an appearance on our politics podcast In the Room, hosted by former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson, former political advisor to May and Boris Johnson, while Ellie Harrison, our Deputy Culture Editor will interview Lorraine Kelly about her latest novel. We’ll also be bringing you plenty of insights from talks across the festival’s brilliant varied programme. We can’t wait to see you there!

Jessie Thompson, Culture Editor at The Independent