Philo Ikonya is an author, human rights activist and President of Kenyan PEN. She was recently arrested and subsequently released for taking part in a peaceful protest about hyperinflation. To read an extract from her piece 'Ringing On My Mind' go to our New Writing page.

Elspeth Brown, a member of Scottish PEN, writes poetry, plays and short stories. Her collected poems, 'A Crab in the Moon's Mouth', has just been published by 'Markings.'

Now in Dunbar she is working on a series of poems about the ecologist John Muir who was born there.

Ken Cockburn is the former Assistant Director and Fieldworker at the Scottish Poetry Library. Since 2004 he has worked as a freelance writer, translator, editor and writing tutor. He lives in Edinburgh.

Jenni Daiches' published poetry includes Mediterranean (1995), Smoke (2005), and contributions to many Scottish magazines. Her fiction includes Letters from the Great Wall (Luath, 2006). She writes on literary and historical subjects as Jenni Calder. Her most recent book is Frontier Scots: The Scots Who Won the West (Luath, 2009). She is currently president of Scottish PEN.

Iyad Hayatleh, a Palestinian refugee poet, was born and grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria in 1960. He started writing poetry early and published his work in Arabic magazines, giving many readings in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. He has lived in Glasgow since 2000. He is now an active member of Scottish PEN and Artists In Exile Glasgow and has taken part in many events and translation and poetry workshops giving many readings in Glasgow, Inverness, Belfast, Wigtown, Aberdeen, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and published some of his poems in magazines and collective pamphlets in Scotland.

His first collection, 'Beyond all measure'. is published by Survivor's Press. Recently he co-led two poetry workshops in Glasgow and Inverness sponsored by Scottish Poetry Library and Oxfam. He is putting together a book of verse for publication later this winter will be published in Arabic in Damascus. This translation of 'My Mother' was published in Poetry Scotland.

Hazel Frew who collaborated with Iyad in the translation of this poem was born in Baillieston in 1968. She grew up on the east coast of Scotland in Broughty Ferry and graduated from Glasgow University in 1991. Her first poem was published in 1995 and since then she has had many poems published in magazines and anthologies including 'The Rialto', 'Orbis' and 'New Writing Scotland'. A pamphlet, 'Clockwork Scorpion' was published in 2007 and her first poetry collection, 'Seahorses' was published by Shearsman Books in 2008.

Ian Hunter, a member of Scottish PEN, is a children's author, short story writer and poet, and poetry editor for "Dark Horizons" magazine.

Philo Ikonya is an author, human rights activist and President of Kenyan PEN. She was recently arrested and subsequently released for taking part in a peaceful protest about hyperinflation. To read her own account of Kenya PEN's activities go to our featured writers page.

Susie Maguire, a member of Scottish PEN, is author of short story collections 'The Short Hello' and 'Furthermore', and editor of the anthology 'Little Black Dress'. Over twenty of her stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio Scotland, and her first poetry collection 'How To Hug' will be published in December 09, by Mariscat. She lives in Edinburgh. 'The Hero' is to be published in 'How to Hug and other poems' in a pamphlet by Mariscat, in December 09 – editor Hamish Whyte.

Liz Niven is a Glasgow-born, Dumfries-based writer. She publishes poetry in English and Scots and delivers creative writing workshops for bodies including the Scottish Poetry Library, London Poetry Society, National Galleries Scotland. She has written and edited a wide range of education resources for poetry and for Scots language.

Shailja Patel, award-winning Kenyan poet, has swum many oceans: shark-infested currents of corporate London, swirling seas of monastic life, high surf of slam poetry and political activism. Her work is translated into ten languages. She always returns to her natal waters - the Indian Ocean of East Africa, and to www.shailja.com

Leslie Stevenson is a member of Scottish PEN and Lecturer, then Reader in Philosophy, University of St.Andrews, 1968-2000. He is the co-author of Ten Theories of Human Nature (5th edition 2008) and a member of The Religious Society of Friends.