John Agard is an acclaimed poet, playwright, and children’s writer, who moved to England from Guyana in 1977. He has held the title of Writer in Residence at the South Bank Centre, and Poet in Residence at the BBC. His poetry is featured in GCSE English anthologies, and he has won numerous awards for his work.

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Sherry Ashworth is a novelist who writes for both adults and teenagers, and joined the Writing School at MMU as a lecturer in Creative Writing in 2006. She has written for publication for over twenty years, receiving numerous award nominations, broadcasts freelance on Radio 4, abridges children’s books for the BBC and also contributes to MMU CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses for teachers. Sherry has directed the Academic Strand of the Festival.
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Sophia Bennett won The Times/Chicken House Competition 2009 with her fabulous debut children’s novel
Threads. She has also written for The Times and The Guardian newspapers.

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Andrew Biswell is Academic Director of the Manchester Writing School at MMU. He has worked as a fiction critic for the Times Literary Supplement, Literary Review, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Boston Globe and Scotland on Sunday. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the fiction and journalism of Anthony Burgess, and his first book – The Real Life of Anthony Burgess – was the winner of the 2006 Portico Prize. He has lectured on Edward Gorey in Canada.

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Daniel Blythe was educated at St. John’s College, Oxford, and is the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction titles. These include the acclaimed novels The Cut and Losing Faith, and the non-fiction books The Encyclopaedia of Classic 80s Pop, I Hate Christmas: A Manifesto for the Modern-Day Scrooge, and Dadlands: The Alternative Handbook For New Fathers. Daniel has also written three Doctor Who novels, including the 2009 best-seller Autonomy.
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Rachel Broady is an MMU MA Creative Writing graduate, and has written for every national newspaper and the vast majority of women’s magazines in the UK. She has taught at MMU as an Associate Lecturer and run sessions as part of the University’s Association for Creative Writing and English programme. She has also held workshops in schools and colleges for both students and teachers.
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Kevin Brooks is an award-winning children’s writer from Essex, Devon. His first novel, Martyn Pig, won the Branford Boase Award in 2003, and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He has since written a further 12 novels, including his latest book, iBoy, which is scheduled for release in July 2010.
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Melvin Burgess is one of the best-selling authors of young adult fiction in Britain, with an impressive 21 novels and string of prestigious awards under his belt. He is most famous for his controversial novels Junk and Doing It and his novelisation of the film Billy Elliot.
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Lucy Burke is a full-time Senior Lecturer in English at MMU. After graduating from Sussex University with a degree in English, she went on to postgraduate research at Southampton University, completing a PhD on selected works by Storm Jameson, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marie Stopes and Rebecca West. Having been published on each of the above writers, Lucy is also an editor of the Routledge Language and Cultural Theory Reader.

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Eleanor Byrne holds degrees from Kings College London, Sussex University and Strathclyde, where she completed her doctoral thesis. Since 2000, Eleanor has been lecturing full-time at MMU, where she specialises in postcolonial literature and theory. Her recent publications include the monographs Homi. K. Bhabha , and Deconstructing Disney, and the co-authored article Tarzan Grammaphone: humanism in Disney’s Ape Movies.

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Anne Caldwell has been running writing workshops for both young people and adults for over fifteen years. Alongside her workshops, Anne is heavily involved with INSET, NAWE, and NALD, and contributes to MMU’s CPD courses Teaching Creative Writing, and Enabling New Writing. Anne also performs nationwide with the poetry group Six Women Poets with a Kick.
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Cathy Cassidy attended art college in Liverpool before going on to work as Fiction Editor at legendary teen magazine Jackie. She has taught Art in both primary and secondary schools, and was agony aunt for Shout magazine for 12 years. Cathy has written numerous novels for young adults.
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Gillian Clarke was born in Cardiff and is a poet, playwright, editor, broadcaster, lecturer and translator (from Welsh). She has published numerous collections of poetry for adults and children, as well as dramatic commissions and articles in a wide range of publications. Her poetry is studied by GCSE and A-level students throughout Britain. Her latest book, At the Source, is a journal of the writer’s year.
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Mandy Coe was the joint winner of the 2008 Manchester Poetry Prize, and writes for adults and young people. Her poetry has been broadcast on BBC radio and television and, in 2005, was awarded a Hawthornden Castle fellowship. Mandy has undertaken workshops and residencies in schools, and works closely with NAWE and The Poetry Society. She regularly delivers INSET (in service training) for teachers and contributes to MMU’s CPD courses, for which her co-written book Our Thoughts Are Bees is a set text.
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Stephen Cole began his career at the BBC in 1993, and went on to hold numerous editorial roles within the corporation. He wrote his first children’s novel in 1996, and has since produced various titles for children and young adults, including the Astrosaurs series, the Wereling trilogy, and several original Doctor Who novels.
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Bea Colley is Education Manager for The Poetry Society. Through her involvement with projects such as SLAMbassadors and Foyle Young Poets, Bea has helped provide opportunities for young people to get involved with poetry, both inside and outside of school.
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Clare Conville co-founded the literary agency Conville & Walsh in 2000, with her business partner, Patrick Walsh. She represents literary and commercial writers of fiction and non-fiction and specialises in children’s and young-adults’ writers.
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Andrew Cope is the author of the best-selling children’s series Spy Dog and Spy Pups. His books have sold in excess of half a million copies worldwide, and Spy Dog won the Redhouse Children’s Book of the Year, as well as the prestigious Richard and Judy Award for the 7+ category. There are currently five books in the Spy Dog series and Andrew is busy working on the third of the Spy Pups books.
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Frank Cottrell Boyce is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist from Liverpool. In 2004, Frank wrote a book for children based on his own screenplay – Millions – which won the 2004 Carnegie Medal. His second children’s novel, Framed, was shortlisted for both the 2005 Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year Award. His third novel, Cosmic, was published in 2008, and was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in the same year. Frank is an Honorary Fellow of the Manchester Writing School at MMU

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Barry Cunningham is the Managing Director of Chicken House Publishing, the independent-minded publisher that excels in finding fresh new talent and which runs The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition.

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Diana Donald was formerly Head of the Department of History of Art and Design, Manchester Metropolitan University. Her book Picturing Animals in Britain, 1750-1850 was published in 2007, and she was guest curator for the exhibition Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 2009. She is currently working on a study of Thomas Bewick for Reaktion Press.

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James Draper taught at MMU as an Associate Lecturer before taking up the role of Project Manager for the Manchester Writing School in 2006. He organises the Writers at MMU programme of author events, and the Carol Ann Duffy and Friends and Word series run in partnership with the Royal Exchange Theatre. He is also head judge and chief editor of Muse, MMU’s journal of student writing. James was appointed one of MMU’s first Enterprise Fellows in 2008 and used the fellowship to establish the Manchester Writing Competition – a major international literary prize celebrating the best new poetry and short stories.

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Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester, where she is Professor and Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School at MMU. She has written for both children and adults, and her poetry has received many awards, including the Signal Prize for Children’s Verse, the Whitbread and Forward Prizes, and the Lannan and E. M. Forster Prize in America. In 2005, she won the T. S. Eliot prize for Rapture. She was appointed Poet Laureate in 2009.
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Kate Fox is a Newcastle-based writer, comedian, and poet. She is currently Poet in Residence for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Saturday Live‘, and delivers workshops in poetry, comedy, and CPD for teachers in creative writing.
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Adele Geras was born in Jerusalem in 1944, before coming to England aged 11. She graduated from St. Hilda’s College, Oxford in 1966, and worked as an actress, singer, and high-school French teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 1976. She has since published over 90 books for children and young adults, as well as four novels for adults.
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Keith Gray published his first novel for children, The Creepers, in 1996 and was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. He has since written several award-winning books for children and young adults and, in 2008, was appointed Virtual Writer in Residence for the Scottish Book Trust.
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Mary Hoffman has written over 90 fiction and non-fiction titles for children and teenagers. Educated at Cambridge, Mary was made Honorary Fellow of the Library Association in 1998 for her work with schools. Among her most notable works are the best-selling Amazing Grace picture book and the historical novel The Falconer’s Knot, which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Book Award. She is the author of the popular Stravaganza series.
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David Huxley is Senior Lecturer on the BA(Hons) Film and Media Studies course at MMU. His subject specialisms are Cartoons and the Comic Strip, Censorship, Hollywood Film and Animation. His PhD thesis was The Growth and Development of British Alternative Graphic Magazines 1966-1986. Current research interests include the graphic novel and the comic strip; animation and the horror film; and the representation of nineteenth century American historical figures in twentieth century film. He has drawn and written a wide range of adult and children’s comics, and designed posters for conferences

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Catherine Hyde trained in Fine Art Painting at the Central School of Art in London. Originally from the South East of England, she now lives in Cornwall and exhibits nationally. She is the illustrator for Carol Ann Duffy’s The Princess’ Blankets.
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Paul Johnson is internationally known for his pioneering work in developing literacy through the book arts and as a book artist. He is the author of over 15 titles, including A Book of Ones’s Own, Literacy Through the Book Arts and, most recently, Get Writing!

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Jackie Kay is a multiple award-winning poet and novelist, who writes for both children and adults. She has worked on numerous projects in schools, and her collection of poetry for children, Red, Cherry Red, won the 2008 CLPE Poetry Award. Jackie was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to literature,Liz Kessler graduated from MMU with an MA in Creative Writing, and has worked as a teacher and a journalist. She is the author of numerous books for young adults, most notably the Emily Windsnap series, which started life as a project during her MA studies; the latest edition is scheduled for release in November 2010.
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John Lawrence has illustrated over 150 books, some of which he has also written. His work covers picture books to private press books, including several books for the Folio Society. He has been a part-time lecturer for most of his career and is perhaps most popularly known for his illustration of Philip Pullmans’ books.

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Helen List has been completing her PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University on the subject of Animal Imagery in Children’s Picture Books in the United Kingdom 1955 – 1969. Her current research interests also lie with the framing and the applications of the visual text within interactive media situations.

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Paul Magrs joined MMU’s Department of English in 2004, as Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. Paul has published numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including his 2006 novel Exchange, which was nominated for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also written four books for Doctor Who and is the author of the Brenda and Effie spooky mysteries.
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Claire Massey is the founder of the online magazine New Fairytales. She has written poetry and short stories for publication, both online and print, and has produced a play for the Contact Theatre in Manchester.
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Jane McFadyen is Principal Lecturer in 3D Design at MMU. She is also Widening Participation Champion for the Faulty of Art and Design, and has pioneered a number of her own outreach activities. In recent years she has also contributed to MMU’s CPD programme for teachers with the Makers Palette project. She has overseen “Out of Schools” and created the Princess’ Blankets exhibition, using the illustrations by Catherine Hyde.

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Peter McOwan’s interdisciplinary research interests focus on the study of biological and computer vision systems. His background in physics, mathematics and psychology. He also works to promote the public understanding of science and to enthuse the next generation of scientists.

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Angelica Michelis, after completing a PhD at the University of Saarbruecken, held positions at the Open University, Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge University and Birkbeck College. She joined Manchester Metropolitan University in 1995, and is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English.

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Grace Nichols is an award-winning poet from Georgetown, Guyana. Alongside her poetry and fiction for adults, Grace has written numerous works for children, and her poetry is featured in several GCSE anthologies.

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Dai Owen grew up in North Wales, in Anglesey and Bangor, but now lives in Chester on the border. He freelances as an illustrator doing work for children’s books both fiction and educational, museum displays and a variety of cartoon work. His main passion is for line work and especially reportage drawing which requires quick, live sketching to capture the essence of what is happening.
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Stephen Raw spent two years teaching at the National Arts School in Papua New Guinea. His work includes paintings, commercial lettering, cover designs for Carcanet Press, and has been exhibited in Germany, Ireland the United States and Italy. Until recently, Stephen was a part-time tutor on the MA Design course at MMU. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Manchester Writing School at MMU.
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Ian Rogerson is former MMU Librarian and Honorary Research Fellow at the John Rylands Research Institute, University of Manchester. He has written extensively on the history of illustrative printing, especially wood-engraving.

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Michael Rosen is an acclaimed poet, broadcaster, and children’s novelist from London. In a career spanning almost 40 years, Michael has written over 160 books, and held the position of Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009.
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Jacqueline Roy is Senior Lecturer in English and Creative Writing, and member of the teaching staff within the Manchester Writing School at MMU. Jacqueline has taught in higher education for over a decade, and has a particular interest in Black British and African-Caribbean fiction and poetry, and children’s fiction. Since 1990, she has written five novels for children, and one for adults.

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John Sampson is a professional musician, composer, and actor from Edinburgh. John has performed across the UK and Europe for almost 30 years to much acclaim.
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Lucy Schofield is an Artist Book Maker, her work is held in many public and private collections in the UK and abroad, including TATE Britain, Chelsea College of Art, London College of Communiation, Winchester School of Art and Manchester Metropolitan University.
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Jean Sprackland joined MMU’s Department of English as Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of three books of poetry and a collection of short stories. Her poetry has been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Award for Poetry, and she won the 2007 Costa Poetry Award for her third collection, Tilt.
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Kaye Tew is Outreach Coordinator for the Faculty of Humanities Law and Social Science at MMU. Kaye set up the Association for Creative Writing and English (ACWE) in 2005 as a hub for outreach work in English, providing a programme of activities focusing on creative writing for pupils aged 14-19 years. She also runs Continuing Professional Development courses for teachers and writers, and manages Faculty-wide projects in the IDEA (Initiatives, Developments and External Activities) office.

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Jenny Valentine studied English at Goldsmiths College, University of London, before publishing her first novel, Finding Violet Park (2007), for which she won the Guardian Prize for Children’s Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In 2009, Jenny was chosen as a World Book Day contributor, for which she wrote the short story Ten Stations.

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Joanna Verran is Professor of Microbiology in the School of Biology, Chemistry and Health Science at Manchester Metropolitan University. Professor Verran also has a keen and active interest in microbiology education.

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Jeanette Winterson is the Whitbread Award-winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. In recent years, Jeanette has written a number of books for children, including The King of Capri (2003) and Tanglewreck (2006). In 2006, Jeanette was awarded an OBE for services to literature.
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Paul Wake Paul completed his doctorate at MMU in 2004, and became a full-time member of the Department of English the following year. He counts children’s literature amongst his research interests, and is currently working on the children’s stories of Ford Madox Ford, a reader on Childhood Theory and a monograph on literary representations of the ordinary.

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Vicki Wheeler is an artist, lecturer and gallery educator, specialising in workshops for schools, children and young people. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, she is particularly interested in drawing and narrative and the picture book form. Vicki Wheeler lectures at the University of Manchester within the School of Materials and regularly delivers workshops at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.

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Robert Williams is the author of Luke and Jon, published by Faber March 2010. He has worked in bookshops, school libraries and public libraries. Luke and Jon is his first book.