Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh. A poet, novelist and writer of short stories, she has enjoyed great acclaim for her work for both adults and children and her novel, Trumpet, won the Guardian Fiction Prize. From 2016-21 she was the third modern Makar, the National Poet for Scotland. She has written children's novel, Straw Girl, and poetry collections including The Adoption Papers, Other Lovers and Off Colour, as well as short story collections including Why Don't You Stop Talking. She is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Salford.Jill Calder is an award-winning illustrator of many children's books including Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by James Robertson, What Is Poetry? by Michael Rosen and The Sea by Miranda Krestovnikoff. Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1991, Jill’s work has taken her around the world, most recently to Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the British Council’s Drawing Words exhibition of British picture book illustrators, curated by the then Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child. In 2022, Jill’s first retrospective exhibition, "A Blink of Ink … the Creative World of Jill Calder" was held at Callendar House in Scotland. Her work has been displayed at the V&A Museum, the National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Brompton Hospital and the Royal Scottish Academy.