Irvine Welsh (Author) Irvine Welsh is the author of eleven previous novels and four books of shorter fiction. He currently lives in Chicago. https-//www.facebook.com/irvinewelshauthor https-//twitter.com/IrvineWelsh A.L. Kennedy (Author) A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards - including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in London and is a part-time lecturer in creative writing at Warwick University. Meera Syal (Author) Meera Syal, CBE, is one of our most acclaimed actors and writers of stage and screen. She starred in the hit series The Kumars at No. 42 and recently in the BBC film of David Walliams' The Boy in the Dress. She is currently in David Hare's play Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the National Theatre, and in the latest series of Broadchurch. Meera is also known for her funny, sharp and provocative fiction. Her two earlier novels are Anita and Me (a national curriculum set text) and Life Isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee. The House of Hidden Mothers is her long-awaited third novel. John Niven (Author) John Niven was born in Irvine, Ayrshire. He is the author of the novella Music from Big Pink and the novels Kill Your Friends, The Amateurs, The Second Coming, Cold Hands, Straight White Male, The Sunshine Cruise Company and No Good Deed. Murray Lachlan Young (Author) Murray Lachlan Young's poetry career began in the underground poetry/cabaret nights of mid-nineties London. Word of his unique style of writing and performing soon spread and he was signed by record company Almo Sounds and given a series on MTV USA. Murray then toured with various bands, including Julian Cope and the Pretenders, and performed on the main stage at T in the Park and Glastonbury festivals. In 1996 he was signed by EMI in a recording deal that saw him dubbed, for a while, the 'Million Pound Poet'. He is now best known as an 'across network' performer on BBC radio. He has appeared regularly on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live, Radio 5 Live and Test Match Special. Since 2011 Murray has been resident poet at BBC Radio 6 Music. Murray has two sons and now lives in London. Kathy Burke (Edited by) Kathy Burke has worked extensively as an actor, writer and director for the past thirty years. She is a great believer in the power of the story and is proud to be part of this beautiful project.