Jill Dawson is an award-winning British novelist, poet, and editor, whose work spans fiction, short stories, and poetry. She is the author of eleven novels, including Fred & Edie, The Great Lover, The Crime Writer, and The Bewitching, published by Sceptre. Her writing has been widely recognised, with nominations for the Women’s Prize, the Whitbread Prize, and the IMPAC Award, among others.

In addition to her writing, Jill has taught Creative Writing internationally, including at the University of East Anglia, Faber Academy, and Amherst College. She is the founder of Gold Dust Mentoring, supporting emerging writers, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her latest novel, Pixie, is published by Bloomsbury.

D. B. C. Pierre (born Peter Warren Finlay) is an Australian-born author best known for his darkly comic and provocative fiction. Raised in Mexico and educated in the UK, his international background heavily influences his writing style and themes. He rose to prominence with his debut novel Vernon God Little (2003), which won the Booker Prize and established him as a distinctive literary voice. Pierre’s work often blends satire, social critique, and unconventional narrative perspectives, exploring modern culture with sharp wit and irreverence.

Sadie Jones is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. Her first, The Outcast, won the Costa First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and was a Richard and Judy Number One bestseller. Her second, Small Wars, 2009, was longlisted for the Orange Prize. The Uninvited Guests, was published in 2010. Also a screenwriter, Sadie adapted The Outcast for BBC Television in 2014, directed by Iain Softley and starring George Mackay. Her fourth novel, Fallout,came out the same year, and her fifth, The Snakes in 2019. Her sixth novel, Amy and Lan, was published in July 2022. 

Susie Boyt is a British novelist and journalist celebrated for her perceptive, emotionally intelligent fiction. The daughter of painter Lucian Freud, she has written several acclaimed novels, including The Small Hours, My Judy Garland Life, and Loved and Missed, often exploring themes of family dynamics, identity, memory, and resilience. Alongside her fiction, Boyt is a regular contributor to publications such as the Financial Times, where her journalism reflects the same wit, sensitivity, and keen observation found in her novels.

Jakuta Alikavazovic is a French novelist and essayist known for her intellectually rich and stylistically distinctive writing, often exploring themes of identity, language, and perception; her acclaimed works include Corps volatils and L’Avancée de la nuit, and she was awarded the Prix Goncourt du premier roman for her debut.