Prof Michael Becker was born together with his twin brother Christian in Krefeld in 1972, where he spent his childhood and school years with his two brothers. His medical studies at the RWTH Aachen also took him to the Charité in Berlin, the Royal Medical School in London and the Washington School of Medicine in Seattle/USA.

Jouanna Hassoun, who fled to Germany from the civil war in Lebanon and has Palestinian roots, has been active as a political educator for over 15 years. She is a recipient of the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin and an ambassador for democracy and tolerance, as well as co-founder of the educational organisation Transaidency e.V., which was established in 2015 and is also dedicated to humanitarian aid. Her commitment includes addressing the Middle East conflict, anti-Semitism and combating hostility towards Muslims.

Sarah Bestgen, born in 1990, lives with her family in the Rhineland. She studied psychology in Cologne and Bonn and worked in legal psychology and clinical psychology before working for a renowned personnel consultancy in executive selection and development. In addition to her fascination for people, their stories and their psychological abysses, writing is her great passion. She was able to combine both in her thriller debut Happy End.

Thorsten Schleif, born in 1980, judge at the local court in Dinslaken, married and father of two children, has worked as a judge in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for over 16 years. Schleif has been writing non-fiction books (Urteil: Ungerecht, Endlich richtig entscheiden, Wo unsere Justiz versagt) and novels (Richter morden besser, Richter jagen besser, Richter sterben besser) since 2019.

Regina Denk was born in 1981 on the Bavarian-Austrian border. Her love of books and writing has accompanied her throughout her life. From studying literature in Munich, to the other side of the world and back home again, near Munich, where she lives today. She publishes entertainment ranging from thrillers to science fiction under several pseudonyms, while under her real name she devotes herself to more serious material. As a publishing consultant, she advises publishers, authors and artists from the initial idea to the finished book.

Megumi Maria Loy was born in Japan but grew up mainly in Germany and has been working as a freelance artist under the name Megumi_M for several years. Her focus is on figurative representations in different styles that bring together the aesthetics of two cultures. She is particularly fond of conveying emotions and personalities and utilising the possibilities of modern media to create both digital paintings and animations. Since 2019, you can watch her create her works on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/megumi_m) and elsewhere.

Dr. Ulrike Bossmann is a psychologist, systemic therapist, positive psychology coach and author. She has a doctorate in dealing with dilemmas, has been coaching and training executives and private individuals for over ten years, and has published her research on resilience in everyday (professional) life in numerous articles and books. On the online platform soulsweet, she advises people on mental health issues and makes scientifically proven strategies for increasing well-being flexibly accessible from anywhere and at any time.

Anton Börner was President of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services until October 2020, with a brief interruption from mid-2017 to mid-2019. For him, the international dissemination of the principles of the social market economy, the strengthening of intercultural exchange and the continuation of the dialogue between politics, business and the church are important topics of our time.

Dr. Tanja Kinkel, born 1969 in Bamberg. Studied German language and literature, drama and communication studies, 8 cultural and literary awards, since 2021 recipient of the Bavarian Order of Merit. Scholarships in Rome, Los Angeles and at the script writing class in the Munich University of Television and Film, Munich; guest lecturer at colleges and universities in Germany and abroad, President of the International Feuchtwanger Society. Tanja Kinkel's oeuvre includes 20 novels with a print run of over 7 million; her books have been translated into 15 languages.