Maryna Ponomarova

Maryna lives in Kyiv. Orientalist; she studied Chinese and Japanese, an works as a copywriter. Her debut book is a collection of feminist fantasy stories “In the Glass Forest”.

Born in 1979, she graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Theatre College, majoring in painting, and from the National Technical University of Ukraine “KPI”, Faculty of Publishing and Printing, Department of Book Graphics. She worked as an art director of the “Mystetskyi Barbakan”, curated the exhibition “V. Chebanyk’s Animated Alphabet”. Participant and organizer of exhibitions at Mystetskyi Arsenal, Izolyatsia Foundation, French Cultural Centre, Karas Gallery, Odesa Children’s Festival, etc. Author of the art book “Ayakzhe” (2023).

Haska Shyyan is a Ukrainian writer and translator. Born in 1980 in Lviv, she studied Classical Philology at Lviv National University. In 2012, Haska debuted with the novel “Hunt, Doctor, Hunt!”. Her novel “Behind Their Backs”, written in 2016–2017 and published in 2019, won the European Union Prize for Literature. During the last decade, Haska lives between Lviv, Kyiv, and Brussels, writes prose and poetry, produces podcasts and book trailers.

Born in 1977

Tania Stus was born in Luhansk region in the dynasty of teachers. The author of fiction and educational books for children and teenagers, the head of the children’s reading laboratory of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the founder of the BaraBooka children’s reading support project, the editor-in-chief of the “Junior Academy” publishing house. Trainer, author of creative writing programs for children and teenagers, public activist in the field of reforming school literary education.

A writer, civic activist, culturologist. Born and raised in Kyiv, lives in Athens. The first book of the Spy from Artemis Shelter series got a silver award at “Koronatsiya Slova 2019” and the main prize at “Espreso. Readers’ Choice” in the young-adult category, and her latest book , “Searching for the Land of Amazons”, was longlisted for the BBC Book of the Year Award (2022). An author of ten historical, fantasy and adventure novels, a number of short stories, and creative writing essays.

Poet, public activist, cultural advocate. Born in 1988 in Odesa, where he still lives. His debut collection of poems Three Dots was published in 2016.

Writer and journalist, author of children’s books (“Apricots bloom at night”, “Little sister”, “Miya and the lunar eclipse”, etc.), nominee of the “BBC Book of the Year”, “Espresso. Readers’ Choice”, “BaraBooka’s Top of the Year”, “Koronatsiya Slova” awards. She translates from Polish, works at Hromadske Radio.

Serhii Leshchenko was born in 1985 in rural areas of the Dnipropetrovsk region. Until 2015, he lived an ordinary life of a farmer until he was mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From 2018 to 2022, he wrote 4 books (one as a co-author), which were highly appreciated by the readers’ audience. After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he rejoined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Hanna Bulhakova is the Chief Editor of the Children’s Literature Department at Ranok Publishing House, as well as a children’s writer and literary editor. She has been working in the publishing industry since 2016, and holds a master’s degree in philology. Hanna writes in the genre of children’s educational books, and places a great emphasis on socially important topics such as environmental protection, promotion of Ukrainian culture, and human rights.