Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), known mostly as (just) Dante, was an Italian poet and philosopher. He is known for establishing the use of the vernacular in poetry at a time when most was written in Latin, which was accessible only to educated readers. His depictions of hell, purgatory, and heaven provided inspiration for the larger body of Western art and literature.

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School for Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

Enrico Mercuri is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering, UNSW Sydney where he leads research, and co-supervises doctoral students.

Enrico's formation included having Dante's Inferno read to him by his mother in his early years. This was followed by formal education in which he was awarded the university medal in Italian and wrote an Honours dissertation on Dante.

As a university educator David Blaiklock has received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACAUDS) and a Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning from the Australian Office for Learning and Teaching. David's design practice is internationally recognised.

Through his work as an artist, writer, curator and Vitamin zine creator, Shaw Hendry crossed paths with many in the South Australian arts community. During his fourteen years as a technical officer at the South Australian School of Art, he helped shape the work ethic of many artists at the beginning stages of their careers.

Dr Stephen Atkinson is Program Director for the Bachelor of Contemporary Art program at the University of South Australia.

Dr Grace Cochrane is a revered curator and art historian and arguably the most authoritative figure writing on Australian artists working in crafts-based media.

Farrin Foster is an editor, writer and journalist working from the stolen lands of the Kaurna people. She has been the founding editor of three print publications (two of which survived). Farrin's writing has appeared on platforms like the Guardian and Kill Your Darlings, as well as in audio projects and documentary film.

Gabriella Bisetto is a Senior Lecturer at UniSA Creative, University of South Australia, and a practising glass artist. Drawing on her abiding interest in the body as a source of conflicted narratives, Gabriella's work measures, translates and interprets the mechanisms, forms and ideologies of the human body and its connection to the world around us through blown glass, hot sculpting and team projects.

Melissa Raven is a research fellow with the Critical and Ethical Mental Health group at the University of Adelaide (Australia). She originally qualified as a clinical psychologist, and subsequently completed a masters in epidemiology and a PhD critically analysing claims and evidence about depression and antidepressants.

Stephen Orr was born in Adelaide in 1967, studied science and education and taught in a range of country and metropolitan schools. One of his early plays, Attempts to Draw Jesus, became his first novel, shortlisted for the Australian/Vogel's Literary Award. Since then he has published ten novels (most recently, Sincerely, Ethel Malley) and two volumes of short stories (Datsunland and The Boy in Time). He has been nominated for awards such as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the Miles Franklin Award and the International Dublin Literary Award.

Tim Reeves is an Adelaide-based historian and author. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with first-class Honours at the University of Adelaide, with a thesis on the impact of Duncan's death on gay law reform in South Australia. He has since published widely on the topic including for the international Who's Who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History.

Margaret Ann Spence is the author of two novels, the award winning Lipstick on the Strawberry and the award finalist Joyous Lies. A graduate of Melbourne University, Margaret worked for Penguin Books (Australia) Ltd, and Walkabout magazine before moving to the United States to obtain a master's degree in journalism from Boston University. She worked in public relations, earned an MBA degree, and has published in newspapers and print and online magazines.

Karen Wyld is an author of Martu descent living on the south coast of Adelaide, South Australia. Karen's books include Where the Fruit Falls (historical novel, University of WA Publishing) and Heroes Rebels and Innovators (children's nonfiction, Hachette). Karen is a South Australia Literary Fellowship 2024 recipient.

Aside from his 9-to-5 writing, Rick Hodges has produced fictional works, including short stories and a stage play. He wrote his play, Three Generations of Imbeciles, based on a 1927 court case from his home state of Virginia that cleared the way for involuntary sterilisation of people with disabilities for decades before the practice was outlawed.