Julia Gäbel was born in Großburgwedel in 1975 and studied Italian, German, English, literature and cultural studies at Hannover University between 1996 and 2001. In 2005 she obtained a degree in fashion journalism and communication from Akademie Mode & Design in Hamburg. Julia Gäbel works as a journalist since 1998.

Sarah Höflich was born in 1979 in the German northern province of Schleswig. Already as a child, she was mesmerised by stories and history. After studying English Philology in Germany, she went on to study Creative Writing in the US as a Fulbright fellow, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts. Today, she is a screen writer and producer for the UFA, and has realised a variety of successful TV series. Heimatsterben is her first novel. Höflich and her family live in Cologne.

When Franziska Heinisch, born in 1999, was little she wanted to become a mayor. Today she is an activist. Everything she saw during her process of political sensitisation was crisis, which became her biggest motivation to develop and to advocate a political vision of her own. Ever since, Heinisch is fighting against the climate crisis, for a turnaround of our economical practice, and for social and global justice. She gets people to the streets, and she confronts those in power. She stands her ground in talkshows, and in newspaper articles, in her private bubble, and while facing decision-makers. Whenever her anger against the societal balance of power is taking over she starts writing, with the deep conviction that change is possible.

In early 2019, her newspaper article about the climate strike in the German weekly Die Zeit, Sauer auf unsere Eltern (Annoyed by our parents) lay the foundation for the bestseller book Ihr habt keinen Plan, darum machen wir einen (You don't have a plan hence we make one), written by her and seven co-writers of the Jugendrat der Generationen Stiftung. In the spring of 2021, the year of the German parliamentary elections, her book Wir haben keine Wahl. Ein Manifest gegen das Aufgeben (We don't have a choice. A manifesto against giving up) was published. 

Franziska Heinisch studies law and lives in Berlin.

Max Heberer was born in 1987. After studying Psychology and Rhetorical Studies he started working as a management consultant for a couple of years. In 2018 he quit his job to hike the Alps for several months, abandoning civilisation in search of tranquility and authenticity. Today, he works less and enjoys life more, living together with his girlfirend in the suburbs with a view of woods and vineyards.

Petra Hardt was born in 1954 in the German city of Frankfurt am Main. After studying Roman Studies in Paris and Freiburg, she has been working as a rights dealer for German publishing houses for 40 years. She has published works on international publishing and as well taught at German universities and abroad. Since 2019 Petra Hardt is working as a freelance writer and as a consultant in the international publishing world. Her non-fiction debut 'Fernlieben' (Loving at a Distance) has been translated into English, Greek and Arabic, so far.

Florian Havemann was born in 1952 in East Berlin. He is the son of the GDR dissident Robert Havemann. In 1968 Florian Havemann was arrested while protesting the brutal crackdown on the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia. In 1971 he fled to the West, where he found work as an electrician, lighting technician and as a janitor. In 1974 he started studying drama with Hermann van Harten. From 1974 until 1979 he studied graphic design and later on set design with Achim Freyer at the Berlin Academy of the Arts. In 1977 he staged an evening with texts by the Russian futurist Velimir Chlebnikow titled Auszüge aus den Tafeln des Schicksals. In 1978 he started working on a play about the nazi architect Albert Speer. In 1985 he founded a theatre lab. From 1986 on he worked as a cleaner. In 1989 he wrote a play based on the life of Rosa Luxemburg (Rosa). In 1999 he was appointed lay judge at the constitutional court of Brandenburg. In 2002 Havemann was running for parliament for the PDS of Saxony. From 2002 to 2009 he was working on a theatre project about politicians. From 2003 to 2011 he was co-editor of the online magazine Zeitschrift für unfertige Gedanken. In 2007, Suhrkamp published his book Havemann about his grandfather and father which created a massive scandal. From 2009 to 2013 he worked as personal advisor of the Linke politician Gregor Gysi. Since 2019 Havemann owns a gallery in Berlin, supported by German-American venture capitalist Albert Wenger.

Christina Horsten is the New York correspondent of the German press agency dpa. She grew up in Bonn, Prague and in Berlin, where she graduated from the Freie Universität. For the dpa she returned to her home town New York in 2012 and lives there today with Felix and their little daughter Emma.

Dirk Höner is a journalist. After working for the WDR and as an author of several TV productions, he has been working as an editor at stern TV since 2004.

Tabea Hertzog was born in 1986, studied history of art, German literature and psychology in Berlin as well as creative writing in Hildesheim. In 2013 she was nominated for the Retzhof Dramapreis, in 2015 she was awarded a scholarship at the Nes Artis Residency in Iceland. In 2016 she took part in the writing class of the Jürgen Ponto foundation. She also works as a photographer.