Ian Giles is a literary translator specialising in Scandinavian languages based in Edinburgh. He has translated more than 35 books across a wide range of genres and is Chair of the Translators Association. His work in translation has given him direct insight into the challenges of authorship in an evolving industry. Ian has experience of…
Polly Atkin is a poet, nonfiction writer, editor, and bookseller based in Cumbria. Her writing includes biography, memoirs, and nature writing, and she has been active in the literary and academic worlds for more than two decades. She co-owns a long-established independent bookshop and has organised and hosted arts events across the UK. Polly has…
Lucinda Hawksley is an author of fiction and non-fiction. Over the course of her career, Lucinda has written more than twenty books on social history and art literature, including biographies of Lizzie Siddal, Princess Louise, and Kate Perugini (née Dickens). Lucinda has campaigned for fair pay and better recognition of authors’ contributions to publishing. Lucinda…
AJ West is a novelist, media trainer, and presenter. A former BBC journalist and charity communications director, he has written widely on the challenges facing authors in a changing publishing landscape. His debut novel was published without an agent, while his second, The Betrayal of Thomas True, became a Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2025 CWA Historical…
Helen Epega is a writer, librettist and composer, best known for creating Song Queen: A Pidgin Opera, the world’s first opera in Pidgin English. Creating works as The Venus Bushfires, she blends lyrical storytelling with African percussion and classical forms to explore identity, cultural memory and accessibility. This year, she wrote Of Earth and Quill, a…
Simon has been a barrister since 1978 and an author since 1988. He was instrumental in setting up the Road Victims Trust charity, supporting those bereaved or suffering life-changing injuries on the roads, and sat on its board for many years. He was also the winner of the Bar Pro Bono prize for creating the…
Nadine Matheson is a bestselling author. Her debut crime fiction novel, The Jigsaw Man, was published in 2021 and has been sold in 17 territories to date. She is criminal defence lawyer, teaches law and presents training courses in advocacy and communication skills. In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and has…
Juliet McKenna is a Sci-Fi and Fantasy author and also writes historical crime fiction under the pseudonym JM Alvey. Juliet has been a long-term member of the SoA, having joined in 1997 after she was offered her first publishing contract. Juliet originally worked as a bookseller in 1994 for Ottakar’s, which gave her insight into…
Charles Harris is an author and award winning writer-director for television and cinema, having traditionally published two novels (twice award-nominated) and three non-fiction books, as well as self-publishing a collection of short stories and a further non-fiction book. Charles previously worked in the Film and TV industry in various roles, ranging from screenwriting and film…
Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin is the founder of the multi-award-winning writing resources website Writing.ie, The Inkwell Group publishing consultancy and the Murder One International Crime Writing Festival. She is Ireland’s leading literary scout. Vanessa conceived and developed the National Emerging Writer Programme for Dublin City of Literature, and was the lead consultant and presenter for WritersWebTV. Vanessa a past Chair of…
