Jan Wagner (1971) is a German author, translator of English literature, essayist and critic. He studied English language and literature in Hamburg, Dublin and Berlin and, between 1995 to 2003, together with Thomas Girst, published the biannual literature box Die Außenseite des Elementes (The Element’s Outer Crust). His first volume of poetry Probebohrung im Himmel (Test Drilling in Heaven) appeared with the Berlin Verlag in 2001. Further poetic publications followed, including Achtzehn Pasteten (Eighteen Pasties) (2007), Australien (Australia) (2010) and Die Live Butterfly Show (2018). His book Regentonnenvariationen (Rainbarrel Variations) (2014) was the first lyric title to be awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize. Jan Wagner has received numerous awards for his work, such as the Anna Seghers Prize (2004) and the Georg Büchner Prize (2017). His latest editorship, together with Federico Italiano, is an anthology of Europe’s fresh, young lyricists, Grand Tour. Reisen durch die junge Lyrik Europas (2019). Jan Wagner is a member of the German Academy for Language and Poetry.

Tadeusz Dąbrowski (1979), Polish lyricist, novelist and essayist, is also chief editor of the literary journal Topos. He presides as artistic director over the European Poet of Freedom Festival, a biennial event in Danzig, Poland.

 In 2006, Tadeusz Dąbrowski published Poza słowa. Antologia wierszy (Beyond Words. An Anthology of Poems) 1976–2006, a volume of contemporary Polish lyric. Alongside dozens of grants, he has received several awards for his work including the Kościelski Prize (2009), the Horst Bienek Advancement Award (2014) and the Warsaw Literature Prize (2014). All seven of his poetry volumes have been translated into 20 languages. His first work in German appeared in 2010 under the title Schwarzes Quadrat auf schwarzem Grund (Czarny kwadrat), followed by a volume of poetry, Die Bäume spielen Wald (2014). His most recent release is a novel entitled Eine Liebe in New York (2019). Tadeusz Dąbrowski is an author featured in Grand Tour. Reisen durch die junge Lyrik Europas (Grand Tour A journey through the young poetry of Europe) (2019).

Erik Lindner (1968) is a Dutch lyricist. He began writing poetry early on in life, his works released with small publishers. His debut volume, Tramontane appeared in 1996, followed by Tong en trede (Tongue and Tread) (2000), Tafel (Table) (2004) und Terrein (Terrain) (2010). His first novel, Naar Whitebridge (To Whitebridge), was released in 2013. Erik Lindner’s poetry has been translated into German, French and Italian. Upon releasing his volume of poetry Acedia (2014), the German edition, translated by Rosemarie Still, was recognized by both the German Academy of Language and Poetry and the Lyrik Kabinett in Munich as recommended reading. Lindner is founder and publisher of Terras magazine, and his works have been published worldwide in numerous journals. Invited by the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin program, he lived and worked in Berlin throughout 2012. His latest work emerged in 2018, entitled Zog (Awaken).

Luljeta Lleshanaku (1968), an Albanian poetess and translator, spent her younger years under house arrest imposed by the Albanian Communist dictator, Enver Hoxha, as her family supported the opposition. After Hoxha’s removal from power, she took up Albanian Language, Literature and Creative Writing studies and worked as editor and author for television and cinema. She is research director at the Institute of Studies of Communist Genocide in Albania. With eight published volumes of poetry, Luljeta Lleshanaku is one of Albania’s most prominent voices. Her works have been translated into several languages and have earned her important national and international awards.

Four of her books have been translated into English: Fresco: Selected Poetry (2002), Child of Nature (2010) also available in German under the title Kinder der Natur; Haywire (2011) and her latest work, Negative Space (2018, original title, Hapësirë Negative). Luljeta Lleshanaku’s writing can also be found in Grand Tour. Reisen durch die junge Lyrik Europas  (Grand Tour. A journey through the young poetry of Europe 2019).

Agi Mishol (1946) is an Israeli author, the daughter of Holocaust survivors who emigrated to Israel when she was 4 years old. Mishol went on to study Hebraic Literature at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. From 1976 to 2006, she taught Hebraic Literature. She has been directing the Helicon School of Poetry in Tel Aviv since 2001, where she also offers workshops. Agi Mishol has published 18 books, among them Plantation Notes (1987), Selected and New Poems (2003), Moment (2005), House Call (2009) and Working Order (2011). For her literary accomplishments she has received the Israeli Prime Minister Award (1995), the Kugel Literary Award (2000), the Yehuda Amichai Prize for literature (2002) and the Dolitsky Prize (2007), as well as three honorary PhDs. This year she was awarded with the Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award.  Her works have been translated into numerous languages. Agi Mishol’s most recent volume of poetry, Oh little soul, was released in 2019.

Helen Mort (1985) is a British poetess. She completed her studies in Social Sciences and Political Science at Christ’s College, Cambridge in 2007. In 2014, she earned her PhD at Sheffield University, her dissertation addressing English and Neurosciences. Alongside her non-fiction and anthology works, Helen Mort currently lectures Creative Writing at the Manchester Metropolitan University. Her literary debut, the shape of every box, was released in 2007, followed by a pint for the ghost (2009), Lie of the Land (2011), Division Street (2013) and No Map Could Show Them (2016). Her latest work, Black Car Burning (2019), is her first novel. Helen Mort has received numerous awards in recognition of her works and has been nominated for the Costa Poetry Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize and the East Midlands Book Award. Helen Mort was admitted to the Royal Society of Literature in 2018. Her work can also be found in Grand Tour. Reisen durch die junge Lyrik Europas (Grand Tour. A journey through the young poetry of Europe ) (2019).

Herta Müller (1953) is a German writer born in Nitzkydorf, Romania. Her first book, Niederungen/Nadirs, was published in Germany in 1984. The German original (1982) underwent censorship before its publication was permitted in Romania. Refusing to collaborate with the Romanian Secret Service, Herta Müller was subjected to numerous interrogations and threats. In 1987, she moved to Germany and in the following years was a guest professor at many universities. The repercussions of the Communist dictatorship in Romania are a dominant theme in her writings. Herta Müller has published a great many books, among them: Reisende auf einem Bein/ Traveling on One Leg (1989), Herztier/ The Land of Green Plums (1994), Im Haarknoten wohnt eine Dame (2000) and Atemschaukel /The Hunger Angel (2009). Herta Müller has received countless awards, most prominent being the Nobel Prize for Literature 2009, which brought her international fame. Her most recent title is Im Heimweh ist ein blauer Saal (2019).

Sergio Raimondi (1968) is an Argentinian writer. He studied Literary Criticism and is a member of the poet’s collective, Mateístas. Alongside his literary work, he lectures on Contemporary Literature at the Universidad Nacional del Sur. From 2011 to 2014, he headed the State Culture Department in his home city, Bahía Blanca. Sergio Raimondi’s first volume, Poesá Civil (Civil Poetry), (2001) brought literary renewal to his country. The German title, Zivilpoesie first appeared in 2005 and was reissued in 2017. For over two decades, Sergio Raimondi has been working on a comprehensive encyclopedic project, an excerpt from which, Für ein kommentiertes Wörterbuch (For a Commentated Dictionary) (2012) was published in German. His speech at the 20th poesiefestival Berlin at the Academy of the Arts in 2019 was directly published in a bilingual edition under the title Probleme beim Schreiben einer Ode an den Pazifischen Ozean: Problemas de escribir una oda al océano Pacífico (2019).

Xi Chuan (1963) is a chinese lyricist and writer. He is considered as one of the the most important chinese writers of his time. He completed his studies in English Literature at the Peking University in 1985 and has since been a guest professor at New York University and the University of Victoria in Canada. Xi Chuan is currently teaching Classic Chinese Literature at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Peking. His first literary work, Zhijing /Greeting emerged in 1992, followed by Xugou de jiapu /Geneology Rhymed Together und Dayi ru ci / That Is Meant in 1997 as well as Geren Haowu / Private Preferences in 2008. His volume of verse, Ying de Huayu (1999) appeared in English under the title What the Eagle Says. His works have been translated into several languages. Xi Chuan has received many literary awards including the Chinese Poetry Prize (1994) and the Lu Xun Literature Prize (2001). Xi Chuan, together with the lyricist Tang Xiaodu, publishes the literary journal Contemporary International Poetry.

Serhij Zhadan (1974) is a Ukrainian writer, poet and translator. After completing his education in Ukrainian studies and German philology, he earned his PhD dissertating on Ukrainian futurism. Serhij Zhadan made his literary debut at the age of 17 and has since published numerous works of prose and poetry. He is considered one of the strongest voices in young Ukrainian literature. Alongside his writing, he organizes literature and music festivals as well as engages in political activities such as the Orange Revolution and contemporary political debates. Many of his poems have been translated into English as well as four books to date: Depeche Mode (2013), Voroshilovgrad (2016), Mesopotamia (2018) and What We Live For; What We Die For (2019). His work Voroshilovgrad /Die Erfindung des Jazz im Donbass (2012), was awarded both the Jan Michalski Literature Prize and the Brücke Berlin Prize in 2014. Serhij Zhadan’s latest work, the novel Internat (2018), was awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the category Translation.