Najaf Mazari was born in 1971 in a small village near Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. At the age of 12, he left school and apprenticed himself to a master rugmaker. Thus began his love affair with rugs! He fled Afghanistan in 2000, ending up in Woomera Detention Centre. After his release, he settled in Melbourne, Australia, where he now owns a rug shop, selling traditional Afghan rugs. His wife and daughter were finally given permission by the Australian government to join him in 2006 after a 6-year separation. In April 2007, he was granted Australian citizenship. He is a sought-after speaker at schools, literary festivals, community and church groups, and to numerous business groups and non-profit organisations. He founded a philanthropic fund - AusGhan Aid - that supplies health and education aid to remote villages in the mountains outside Mazar-e-Sharif. Robert Hillman is a Melbourne-based writer who has written more than 60 works of fiction and non-fiction. As well as a having a devoted general readership, his books feature in school libraries all over Australia and his autobiography, The Boy in the Green Suit, won the 2005 Australian National Biography Award. His publications cover sports, Australian history, nation building, Young Australian achievers, and the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. His biographies include My Life as a Traitor written with Zarha Ghahramani, and Gurrumil: his life and music, Shining written with Abdi Aden. His latest book is Shining: the Story of a Lucky Man, which he co-wrote with Somali refugee, Abdi Aden.