Julia Darling has published two novels with Penguin: The Taxi Driver's Daughter and Crocodile Soup. She is also a playwright and a poet; her two collections of poetry are Small Beauties (Newcastle City Library), and Tangles and Starbusts (Arc). She also has a collection of short stories Bloodlines (published by Panurge). She is a recipient of the Northern Rock Foundation Writer’s Award.

Linda France has published five volumes of poetry, including The Simultaneous Dress, Red, Storyville and The Gentleness of the Very Tall (all Bloodaxe). Her forthcoming book is a verse biography of the 18th century writer and traveller Lady Mary Wortlet Montagu.

Margaret Wilkinson writes drama and prose and is currently working on a stage play inspired by the short stories of Anton Chekhov. She teaches on the MA in creative writing at Northumbria University.

Pauline Plummerhas published four collections of poetry, most recently Demon Straightening (Iron).

Fiona Ritchie Walker’ first poetry collection, Lip Reading, was published by Diamond Twig in 1999. A second is due out from Iron Press next year. She recently received a Northern Promise Award.

Sean O'Brienhas published four award-winning collections of poems, most recently the Forward Prize winning Downriver. His essays have been collected in The Deregulated Muse and he has translated Aristophanes' The Birds and most recently Zamyatin’s We for radio. He is a regular writer for The Guardian.