Irene Hasenberg Butter is a well-known peace activist, Holocaust survivor, and Professor Emerita of Public Health at the University of Michigan. Irene and Anne Frank lived in the same neighborhood in Amsterdam and had an encounter in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp shortly before Anne died. Irene is a frequent and inspirational speaker about her experience during World War II, stressing the importance of 'Never A Bystander' and that 'One Person Can Make A Difference.' Irene is a co-founder of Zeitouna, a group of Jewish and Arab women working for social justice, and she is a co-founder of the Raoul Wallenberg project at the University of Michigan, which honors the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Budapest, grants fellowships to students, and awards an annual peace medal to peace workers such as the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, and Bryan Stevenson. She received a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University and is the author of Shores Beyond Shores from Holocaust to Hope, My True Story. 

John D. Bidwell is consulting editor of Monique and the Mango Rains, the critically esteemed book authored by his wife Kris Holloway that chronicles their time in Peace Corps with the Malian midwife Monique Dembele. He is Executive Director of United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region and a branding and marketing consultant, frequent presenter, and has lectured and taught at the University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts, Smith College, and Marlboro College. John has his BA from McGill University. 

Kris Holloway is the author of the critically acclaimed Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali, which has been called “a respectful, unsentimental portrait (and) a poignant and powerful book.” (Kirkus, Starred Review). She has delivered hundreds of presentations, and the book remains a favorite “common read” and is used in 150+ college and university courses. Kris is President of CISabroad, a leading education abroad organization responsible that has sent thousands of students to study and intern abroad worldwide. She holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Mary Bisbee-Beek is a publishing sherpa, working with authors who have what they consider a finished manuscript but aren’t entirely clear on what their next steps are. She helps determine smart next steps by evaluating whether or not editing is necessary, and introduces the author to an appropriate editor. If no editorial intervention is needed, we move on to finding the right agent or publisher. She helps authors explore all options and considerations. Find out more about Mary on her website.

Tobias Steed started his publishing career as an editorial assistant at Johns Hopkins University Press while enrolled at medical school. He spent a few years as their Director of New Media in New York, before being lured back to the UK by Rupert Murdoch's News International. In 1999, he wrote Hollywood Cocktails (Mitchell-Beazley) which has gone on to sell in excess of 300,000 copies in seven languages. In 2000, he founded Can of Worms Enterprises to pull together various interests: book publishing, international public health consultancy, consultancy for numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations. Tobias is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA), an adjudicator for UNESCO’s global Cities of Literature initiative, a member of UNESCO’s Expert Network, and a trustee of Books Beyond Words a charity publishing wordless books to help those with learning disabilities. Find out more about Tobias at Can of Worms.