Nnedi Okorafor was born in the United States to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent. Her novels include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel), Akata Witch (an Amazon.com Best Book of the Year), Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), and The Shadow Speaker (winner of the CBS Parallax Award).

Her work spans several genres and age ranges, as evidenced by her short story collection Kabu Kabu and science fiction novel Lagoon (finalist for Best Novel in the British Science Fiction Association Awards and the Red Tentacle Awards).

Her latest release, Binti, won both the Hugo Award for Best Novella and the Nebula Award for Best Novella. Nnedi is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo, New York. She splits her time between Buffalo and Chicago with her daughter Anyaugo and family.

Born in Nairobi, Wanuri Kahiu is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have screened in over 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Wanuri has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film.

Her awards include five African movie Academy Awards, Best Narrative Feature at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Best Short Film at the Cannes Independent Film Festival and the 'Citta di Venezia 2010' award in Venice, Italy. She currently lives with her partner and two children in Nairobi. The Wooden Camel is her first picture book.

Michael Swanwick has received the Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, World Fantasy and Hugo Awards, and has the pleasant distinction of having been nominated for and lost more of these same awards than any other writer. He has written ten novels, over a hundred and fifty short stories, and countless works of flash fiction.

Neil Clarke is the editor of Clarkesworld and Forever Magazine; owner of Wyrm Publishing; and a five-time Hugo Award Nominee for Best Editor (short form).

He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.