Everyone's the Smartest

Contra (born Margus Konnula in 1974) is one of Estonia’s most prolific contemporary poets. Since his debut in 1995, he has published at least one poetry collection each year. Contra’s writing is strongly rooted in Estonia’s contemporary folk-singing tradition, with gleeful and witty texts that blend dense, playful rhymes with topical issues. Contra’s poetry stands out for the frequent use of his native Võru dialect, and he is a popular guest on television, at public events, and in schools. Contra is a laureate of the Oskar Luts Prize for Humor and the Bernard Kangro Award for Literature; in 2015 he was awarded the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s Award for Children and Youth Literature. Ulla Saar (1975) is an illustrator, product designer, graphic artist, and interior designer. She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in product design, and currently works as a designer. Her first illustrated book, Lift, immediately received widespread recognition, and was listed in the 2014 White Ravens catalogue by the International Youth Library. Since then, Ulla has illustrated nearly 20 books, every one of which has gained international attention. Ulla practices a contemporary, design-like approach to book illustration: her spirited and playful art is often more a part of the book’s overall design than free-standing pictures. Charlotte Geater is a poet and editor based in London, UK. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Kent. She edits poetry and fiction for the Emma Press. Her own writing has been published by Queen Mob’s Teahouse, Galley Beggar, Strange Horizons and The Best British Poetry 2013. Kätlin Kaldmaa is an Estonian poet, writer, translator and literary critic. She has published four collections of poetry (Larii-laree, One is None, Worlds, Unseen and The Alphabet of Love), two children’s books, a novel (No Butterflies in Iceland), and a short story collection (The little sharp knife). Her poetry has been translated into more than 20 languages and her collections have been published in English, Finnish and Spanish. She has written extensively on literature and translated more than 80 works of world’s best literature. In 2012 she won the annual Friedebert Tuglas short story award. Kätlin Kaldmaa is the International Secretary of PEN International. She is currently working on her fifth collection of poetry and on her second novel. Richard O’Brien is a poet, translator and academic based in Birmingham, UK.