Manuel Rossello, nato a Lugano da madre piemontese e padre catalano, ha studiato letteratura italiana a Ginevra e Pavia. Dal 1997 insegna nella scuola media ticinese. Dal 2001 al 2007 ha diretto la rivista trimestrale Cenobio. Di sera ha sempre raccontato delle storie ai suoi due figli, quand’erano piccoli.
Stefano Olivari è paesaggista. Nato a Torino nel 1983, vive a Vernone con suo marito, Federico Novaro. Ha studiato all'Ecole du Paysage de Versailles; progetta e realizza giardini, da molto piccoli a molto grandi. Si occupa inoltre di progetti di paesaggio e sviluppo locale legati all'agricoltura urbana.
Federico Novaro, nato nel 1965, ha vissuto a Oneglia sino al 1980, poi a Torino; vive a Vernone con suo marito, Stefano Olivari. Ha collaborato a lungo con L'Indice dei Libri; dirige il sito federiconovaro.eu, di critica editoriale e letteraria. Ha scritto Love Song (isbn, 2014).
Luca Di Sciullo, classe 1987, vive in un piccolo paese vicino alla splendida città di Urbino dove forma i suoi primi interessi artistici frequentando la Scuola del Libro e il biennio di specializzazione in Animazione e Illustrazione che influenzeranno la sua poetica. Deciso che la strada da percorrere è quella dell’illustrazione, si trasferisce a Bologna dove forgia il suo stile grafico. Frequenta l’Accademia di Belle arti, prende parte al fermento artistico bolognese con mostre e progetti di autoproduzione.
Daniela Iride Murgia is a visual artist with a degree in Oriental Art and a Master in Illustration. She stood out for prizes and awards such as: Selection at Illustrarte 2012, Portugal. Mention at the V Compostela International Prize for Picture Books, Spain. A la Orilla del Viento Award 2012, FCE, Mexico. Caniem Award, National Chamber of the Mexican Editorial Industry 2013. Selection at Illustrarte 2014. Finalist at Premio Andersen, Italy 2015. Premio Rodari 2017, Italy.
Brigitte Minne was born in Bruges in 1962. She studied foreign languages and worked a few years for the New Zealand embassy in Brussels. She has worked as a scenario-writer and director of several television programs for children. Since her last book came out in 1993, Albertine verwacht je, she’s had a very prolific career. She has won many prizes, especially given by Children's Juries, such as the Children's Jury Flanders, the French Children's Jury, and the Dutch Children's Jury.
Anna Masini was born in 1981, on a summer day. She lives and works in Milan as an illustrator. She designs, writes and draws picture books and covers, and illustrations for press and magazines. She also collaborates as a textile designer with different Italian ateliers. She mostly works with soft pencils, gouaches, ink and hand printing techniques, such as woodcut and silkscreen, although she’s never forgotten her first love: photography.
Gioconda Belli was born in Managua, Nicaragua. She has received international awards such as Premio Mariano Fiallos Gil; Premio Casa de las Américas; Premio Internacional Generación del 27; Premio Internacional Ciudad de Melilla. Her first novel, La mujer habitada (1988), which was translated into fourteen languages and sold more than one million copies, was given Premio de los Bibliotecarios, Editores y Libreros as the best detective story of the year, and Anna Seghers Award from the German Academy of Arts.
Giulia Mirandola has a degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage. She worked with Ubulibri, Zanichelli, Hamelin Associazione Culturale. She curated Catalogone Topipittori since its first issue. In 2012 she published her contributions in Ad occhi aperti. L'albo illustrato (Donzelli) focusing on world-less and coloring books. Her research into picture books is mainly directed to word-less books and books for very little children. She is involved in formation programs for reading picture books, both for children and adults.
Maria Lai was born in 1919 in Ulassai, Sardinia. Her encounter with professor and writer Salvatore Cambosu, to whom she was linked by a deep, strong friendship, was pivotal for her formation as an artist. In 1939 she moved to Rome and then to Venice where she studied Fine Arts with Arturo Martini. After the second world war, her works have been exhibited in museums, galleries and biennales, being awarded and appreciated internationally.