Born in Geochang, South Kyungsang Province (1955 ), Mrs. Shin received a Korean Literary Prize in 2006 for her novel The Secret Flower Garden (Bimil-Ui Hwawon) after over 12 years of writing this belated debut in 1993. She is an editor and reporter for several magazines who has also published a number of short stories and novels. Five of her short stories from the collection Noona-nun Bom-eemyun Esa-rul Kanda (My Elder Sister Moves in Every Spring) have been given new life as plays on stage.

Born in Togo, 1966, Kangni Alem Alemdjrodo holds a PhD in French, Comparative and French African Literature of University of Bordeaux III, France. Novelist, playwright and short story writer, he has published more than ten books. He is professor of theater and literature at University of Lomé, Togo. His works explores the political and historic memory of African peoples through themes like slavery, dictatorship and racial and cultural métissage. He lives between Lomé and Bordeaux in France. Some publications: Chemins de croix, Atterissage, Cola cola jazz, Canailles et charlatans, Un rêve d’Albatros… Encounter Kangni Alem through his weblog.

Terence Ward was born in Boulder, Colorado and spent his childhood in Iran and Saudi Arabia during the 1960’s. He received his BA in political science at the University of California at Berkeley, and continued his studies in Egypt at the American University of Cairo, where he specialized in contemporary Islamic political movements. He currently works as a cross-cultural consultant specializing in the Middle East. His critically acclaimed book, Searching for Hassan, is a literary journey chronicling his family’s odyssey back to Iran after 30 years.

A journalist and former civil servant based in Itanagar, Mamang Dai has written extensively about the culture and history of Arunachal Pradesh. She is a member of the North East Writer’s Forum, and has to her credit a number of published short stories and poems. She has published Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land and River Poems, among others. The Legends of Pensam, her latest book, was launched in July 2006.

(Billings, Montana, 1955) is of Anishinaabe and German heritage. She grew up on the White Earth Reservation. She is a reporter/photographer, technical writer, lecturer, instructor and teaching fellow and has been lecturing at the University of Wisconsin since 1990. Her interests include wildlife and nature photography, which helps to feed her creative writing and compliment her work in Native American Literature. Kim has published three books and has made more than sixty appearances in anthologies and journals. Her most recent book is titled Absentee Indians and Other Poems.

Born in India in 1985 and growing up in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Sharanya is a writer, dancer, painter, photographer, actress and journalist who has gained reputation as a spoken word artist through her solo show, Ochre As The Earth, in Kuala Lumpur. Her work negotiates the intricacies of imagined exile, and has frequently been described as brutal, sensual and original. “Onstage, she exacts a commanding presence, her reading voice and image sensual, lyrical, literate and emotionally charged… There’s a winning combination of rawness and finesse in her work that’s quite astounding” commented Klue magazine. Sharanya’s work draws heavily from her Tamil culture, but is also influenced by other elements including the flamenco concept of duende and the Huichol concept of iyari. Learn more about Sharanya on her blog.

(Malang, 1952) is the chief editor of the cultural journal Basis. He has worked as a journalist for Kompas, and is author of a number of books on culture, but is better known for his novel Anak Bajang Menggiring Angin (1983). His recent collection of poetry is Air Kata-Kata (2003), and he currently lives in Yogyakarta.

holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese Department of National Taiwan University and is currently an Associate  professor at National Dong Hwa University. She is the recipient of the Best Books of 2005 in Taiwan, the literary awards from Taipei City Government, the Zhonekuo shibao [China Times], Zhongyang ribao [Central Daily News], the New Fiction Writer Award from Lianhe wenxue [Unitas] and so on. Her works include the short story collection Xi [Washing],three novels A Scene at the sea, A Love Story of Anny, Travelling Backward, the script of film Amour-Legende, three essays A Dream: Travel in China, Traveling in My Wardrobe, and Eroticism of Contemporary Female Writings in Taiwan.