Margaret Meyer is Director of Film, Literature and New Media at the British Council. She was educated in New Zealand and read English and Music at the University of Auckland. After graduating she worked as a journalist and scriptwriter, and was a managing editor at Hodder & Stoughton publishers (New Zealand). Since joining the British Council in 2001 she has directed a number of high-profile literary events including the British Council’s 2002 ‘Provocations’ literature showcase in Edinburgh, and a landmark conference held this year in New Delhi which brought together 30 women writers from South Asia and the UK.

David Steven is a policy analyst, strategic consultant and researcher. He founded River Path Associates in 1997 and is now managing director. He is an associate researcher at the London Institute’s SmartLab (part of Central St Martin's School of Art and Design) and teaches at the Harvard School of Public Health. David edited and wrote for a groundbreaking website at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. He has published widely on subjects including the impact of science and new technology, globalisation and economic change, entrepreneurship and small business, health, tourism and effective communication.

Pictures: author (photographer), left to right
Julian Barnes (Jillian Edelstein), Michel Faber (Danielle Schaub), Ali Smith (Sarah Wood), Claire Tomalin (Michael Frayn), Toby Litt (Hamish Hamilton), Zadie Smith (Penguin)