Kate Whitehead is author of non-fiction books on Hong Kong After Suzie and Hong Kong Murders, and is working on her first novel, an adventure story for teens. She has worked for The Standard (Hong Kong) and is editor of the South China Morning Post's Young Post.
Jason Wordie, a well-known local historian and writer, worked as a civilian teacher with the Brigade of Gurkhas. He is the co-author of Ruins of War: A Guide to Hong Kong's Battlefields and Wartime Sites (1996). His most recent publication is Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island (2002). A regular columnist for the South China Morning Post, Wordie writes about local history, culture and society. He is an honorary research associate at the Centre of Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong and a council member of the Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong branch. Wordie is well known for his historical walking tours in Hong Kong and Macau.
Namu Yang was born in the Himalayas into the Moso ethnic group, a matriarchal society near Burma. Yang left home at 13 to take part in a singing contest that ultimately led her to Beijing. She was the first Moso student at the prestigious Conservatory of Music, Shanghai, and later became a singing sensation in the country. She went on to pursue a career in modelling before beginning to write. She has published several books in China that blend portrayal of traditional Moso life with advice to women on leading more empowered lives. She tells the story of her childhood in the widely acclaimed memoir, Leaving Mother Lake, co-authored with Christine Mathieu. Yang lives in California, Switzerland and China.
Daniel Watts' career in publishing began as a marketing junior at Penguin Books, Australia. In 1999, Watts took charge of Macmillan's export business for Asia, India and the Middle East. In 2002 he relocated to Hong Kong to establish Pan Macmillan's first Asian sales and marketing office. In 2005, Pan Macmillan Asia became a financially independent publishing company, of which Watts is managing director.
Adam Williams was born in Hong Kong. A former reporter at the South China Morning Post, he recently turned to fiction. His debut novel, The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure (2003), started a bidding war. He worked for the Sino-British Trade Council and from 1996 to 1998 was chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China. In 1999, Williams was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to Sino-British trade. For the past 18 years he has been based in Beijing, working for Jardine Matheson. His most recent book is The Emperor's Bones.
Jennifer Wong's Summer Cicadas is her debut as a poet. A refreshing, poetic journey of homelands, cultural upbringing and personal identity, the collection is set against the background of Hong Kong and Oxford and is a moving account of the powers and transitions of youth and love. Wong, born and raised in Hong Kong with an Oxford education in English literature, has been published in various poetry journals locally and overseas. She was a featured speaker at the International Writers Workshop organised by Hong Kong Baptist University last year. She has also taught creative writing in the city, where she now lives and writes.