Dora Albanese
Dora Albanese was born on 1st September 1985 in Matera, Lucania. After completing Secondary school in 2004 she moved to Rome where she studied Anthropology at “La Sapienza” University. She has written short stories and articles for magazines and newspapers both on paper and online. In 2009 Non dire madre, her first book of short stories, was published by Hacca. It was favourably reviewed by newspapers, magazines and radio programmes including “Corriere della sera”, “Il Mattino”, “Il Riformista”, “Il Messaggero”, “Vanity Fair”, “Grazia”, “Pulp”, “Cosmopolitan” and Radio Rai 3’s “Fahrenheit”. Published by Rizzoli, her first novel is due out in 2011. She lives in Rome with her husband and son Claudio, born in 2005. She loves going to her local bars and markets, visiting the small villages of Lucania and reading 20th century novels and essays on anthropology.
Catrin Dafydd
Catrin Dafydd is a freelance writer. Her first novel Pili Pala (Gomer, 2006), reached the long list for the Welsh Book of the Year, 2006. Her first novel in English, entitled Random Deaths and Custard (Gomer, 2007), was short-listed for the ‘Books to talk about 2009’ award. She has recently published her second Welsh novel, Y Tiwniwr Piano and writes for Pobol y Cwm, the Welsh language soap opera.
Clemens Setz
I was born in Graz in 1982. I attended a scientific Gymnasium and after taking my Matura did voluntary work at an institute for the blind and visually impaired. In 2001, I began to write for various journals (including “Lichtungen” and “Manuskripte”) and for Austrian public radio, at first mainly poems, but later also short stories. Also since 2001 I have been reading German Studies and Mathematics at the University of Graz (Karl-Franzens-Universität). In 2007, my first novel “Söhne und Planeten” was published by Residenz-Verlag and was put on the shortlist for the Aspekte Literature Prize. In 2008, I translated a documentary novel “Entering Hades” by John Leake (German title: Der Mann aus dem Fegefeuer), which is about the Austrian serial killer and poet Jack Unterweger. That same year I participated in the “German Literature Days” in Klagenfurt and was awarded the Ernst-Willner-Preis for my novella “Die Waage”. In the spring of 2009, my second novel, “Die Frequenzen” was published. It was put on the shortlist for the German Book Prize and later received the Bremer Literature Prize. In January 2010, my play “Mauerschau” was premiered at the Schauspielhaus in Vienna. I am an overtone singer and play the piano. I have three cats. I live in Graz in a flat next door to a large private clinic, and when I have the windows open the sound of the death knell from the hospital chapel penetrates into my room.
Stefania Mihalache
Ștefania Mihalache, born 15 August 1978, in Brashov, Romania. I graduated from the Literature Faculty of Brashov University, with a Degree in Romanian and English. I made my literary debut with poems published in the Erata student magazine. I continued to publish poetry in literary and cultural magazines including Interval, Paralela 45 and Vatra. Between 2001 and 2002, I studied for a Master of Arts Degree in Gender and Culture at the Central European University in Budapest. I made my prose debut in Junii 03, an anthology of young writers from Brashov, published with the support of Interval magazine. Between 2001 and 2004 I taught Romanian and English literature at lycée school and at the Transylvania University in Brashov respectively. I continued my academic work, taking part at international conferences and seminars in the field of cultural studies. My first novel, Est-falia, was published by Paralela 45 in 2004, and was nominated at the fourth annual Prometheus Awards in the Opera Prima category. I have contributed prose, essays and literary criticism to magazines including Familia and Observator cultural, as well as to underground magazines such as Tiuk! and Pana mea. Between 2007 and 2009 I wrote screenplays for Media Pro Pictures in Bucharest. I currently write reviews for Dilemateca magazine and have my own permanent column in Noua Literatură magazine. Since October 2009, I have been a doctoral student in the Literature Faculty of Bucharest University. I am writing my PhD thesis on the subject of childhood in post-1989 Romanian prose. The following books are in press: an anthology entitled Urban, which includes my short story “Uptown Corner” and my novel The Secretary’s Poems, which will be published by Cartea Românească in Bucharest.