This photo sums up my visit to the Charleston festival last week: bright, vibrant and inspiring - a true celebration of creativity in all its forms. I loved exploring Charleston itself: the gardens that were in full bloom, the iconic country house of painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, the gallery spaces and other buildings. And what a treat to then sit down to two fascinating talks, one about the future of AI and one looking at the social, political and cultural shockwaves that defined Britain between 1962 and 1965. The inspiration for the second discussion was David Kynaston’s latest book, which focuses on this era, and he was joined by writers Margaret Drabble and Nick Hornby and by actor Helena Bonham Carter. For me, the most fascinating part was hearing Margaret Drabble talk about life as a young female writer in the early 60s - and how radical it was for a woman at that time to be forging the kind of creative path she was forging.