Graduated from NCA 1997, professional book illustrator/graphic designer and caricaturist. He has worked with different publishers as well as with multinational projects.

Ali Nasir Khan Afridi, a Pushto storyteller, has a Bsc (Triple Maths) from Peshawer University and Msc (Statistics) from Karachi University. He is an expert in gems and is currently working as Lapidary Incharge - PGJDC (Karachi Project).

Asad I. Mian, MD, PhD, Associate Professor Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University; Although a physician by profession, his inclination to write for children and young adults brings him back to the CLF. With Bookgroup he has developed the Biloongraseries of bilingual books for children. He's also author of 'An Itinerant Observer' which will be co-published by Bookgroup in Pakistan and Acacia in the United States.

Asif Sinan is a quintessential 'World Musician' seamlessly blending the genres of Eastern Classical, Jazz and Sufi Music. Sinan has gained international recognition for making his guitar sound like a 'Sitar'. In 2012 Sinan toured and performed in the US as a guest of the US State Department. He also performed in London at the World Islamic Economic Summit and represented Pakistan in Germany at the Deutsches MusikFest. Sinan's Eastern Classical rendition of Pakistan's National Anthem has been a viral sensation and endeared him to both the young and old.

Asma Mundrawala is a visual artist and theatre practitioner with a PhD from the University of Sussex UK. She is Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Art at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Asma is the director and sound designer for Zambeel Dramatic Readings.

Mahvash Faruqi is an educator with a background in theatre for the past eighteen years. She has performed in numerous theatre productions, attended workshops conducted by eminent theatre directors and has toured internationally and within Pakistan. Mahvash is a lead performer and co founder of Zambeel Dramatic readings.

Atif Badar is primarily an actor with a wide experience. From stage, voice-overs, mini screen to a film, he has worked extensively. He started his career in 1993 as a theatre actor and worked in numerous plays with notable directors. Currently he is working in three reputed schools of Karachi as a theatre and creative movement teacher. He has written, directed, and developed concepts of over 50 short plays, etc. and has also conducted theatre workshops at the Aga Khan Medical University enhancing communications skills of medical students with their patients.

Ayesha Omer is an artist and scholar based in Karachi. At the CLF, she will be telling stories in English. She trained in Arts Politics at the Tisch School of Art, New York University, after receiving a degree in Political Science from Davidson College, U.S.A. She teaches Cultural Studies and Arts Politics at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Her art practice is collaborative and cross-cultural. Currently, she is working with artist Fahad Naveed Zahidi on "Love Letters to Karachi" (2012 - present): a community-based letter-writing and performance project. "Where's My Revolution?" (2011 - present) is a response to social movements in Pakistan and around the world that aims to facilitate collaborative, cross-cultural art projects that build solidarity among activists and artists.

Faisal Malik is the Founder of Thespianz Theater (from 2005) is giving non-profit performing arts services nationally and internationally. Theatre arts is his zeal and managing arts is his goal. He is an arts manager, director, actor, host and tv anchor. He is certified in Performing Arts from National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi –Pakistan. He is the State Deptt fellow at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – Washington and Arthink South Asia from Germany, Italy and Sweden. Chicago Opera Theatre Company in Chicago to Scsha Waltz & Guests in Berlin – Germany, he worked for performing arts. Mobile Theatre ( The Flying Theater) is working under his supervision in all over Pakistan to spread social issues awareness through performing arts. Thespianz Theater has performed 56 professional productions, 34 mime & dance productions, 107 theatre & motivational workshops nationwide and internationally.

Fatema Naeem, the storytelling in Gujarati language, has a Bachelor’s in Commerce from Maharaja University of Vadodara in Gujarat, India. She enjoys traveling, camping and story telling.

Imrana Maqsood. DOB. 15TH Aug 1946. Have taught primary children for 8 years in PAF School and Foundation Public. Have taught Urdu to A Level students for two years. Written almost 24 books of supplementry reading at OUP and Six supplementry readind books at Ferozsons. Out of these three books have won Presidet best book award. Written many TV serials and long plays. My latest play will be on air on Valentine day. One book Karachi Halwa aur Badaun ke Payre for adults has made a record sale. Written together with my sister Amra Alam, based on childhood memoirs. My pen keeps moving and life goes on.

Shahina Alvi has been in the field of special education for the last 25 years. She was one of the first remedial tutors to be trained at READ. Other than her teaching experiences, she also screens children for dyslexia and is also one of the course leaders for the teacher training course at READ – the six-month READ DIPLOMA COURSE. She is currently the CEO of READ.

Mona Qaiser is a Remedial Therapist and Director of R.E.A.Dyslexics (Pvt) Ltd. She is one of the course leaders for the READ Diploma Course. She also carries out Educational Evaluations for children with learning difficulties and conducts workshops for teachers and students in various aspects of literacy, both in Pakistan and abroad.

Rumana Husain is a Director on the Board of the Children’s Literature Festival (CLF). She is author of the book ‘Karachiwala - a subcontinent within a city’ (published by Jaal in 2010). She co-founded NuktaArt in 2005 - a bi-annual art magazine, of which she is Senior Editor. She worked as Head, Activism & Outreach at the Children’s Museum for Peace and Human Rights (2001 to 2008). She is co-founder of The Bookgroup (1988) and has written and illustrated over 50 children’s books and numerous teacher’s manuals for several publishers including the Oxford University Press. She contributes regularly to national dailies Dawn and The News on Sunday, as well as to other popular magazines. She is General Secretary of the Karachi Conference Foundation. Though trained as a graphic designer, she has had different careers as an innovative school head, teacher-trainer, illustrator and writer.

After completing her Masters in English Literature she joined NAPA for Direction. She has worked as a lighting designer for some esteemed directors. She has directed plays for the Academy and commercially as well. She has received Pakistan Media Award 2013 for Best Theatre Category.She has done certification in Lighting Design and Pre-visualization from SILV, USA and earned a ‘Seal of Qualification’ from the same institute. Currently she is actively involved with NAPA in teaching and management capacities.

After completing her Masters in English Literature she joined NAPA for Direction. She has worked as a lighting designer for some esteemed directors. She has directed plays for the Academy and commercially as well. She has received Pakistan Media Award 2013 for Best Theatre Category.She has done certification in Lighting Design and Pre-visualization from SILV, USA and earned a ‘Seal of Qualification’ from the same institute. Currently she is actively involved with NAPA in teaching and management capacities.

Yousuf Kerai has been a student of tabla for fourteen years, learning from the great maestro, Ustad Khurshid Hussain. His formal education includes a B.A. in Mathematics and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Bennington College, Vermont, USA. He has taught mathematics for a number of years in the U.S.A and currently serves as Academic Supervisor at Haque Academy while simultaneously managing and performing for Tarz Group, an ensemble of classically trained musicians presenting the richness of South Asian music in new and exciting formats, helping young listeners to reconnect with their musical heritage. He has performed in private and public performances in both Pakistan and U.S.A. He has lectured at Aga Khan University, Peaceniche-T2F and Textile Institute of Pakistan, and was a keynote speaker for School of Leadership’s Young Leaders Conference (2011). He has held five successful orchestra performances through the platform of Tarz Group.

Ayesha Tariq graduated with a Bachelors of Communication Design from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2011. During her tenure at The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), she participated in the 'Play and Learn with Miffy' Workshop with Butterfly Works, where she worked on 'Laddu is Born' with her fellow 'Chum Chum’ members. Her thesis, 'Suppressed Anger of the Pakistani Obedient Daughter', which was written and illustrated by her, encouraged her to participate in a fiction writing workshop with the Open Letter Society. She also designed and illustrated the first two issues of 'Uran Tashtaree, The Flying Saucer', the official Urdu magazine for the Children's Literature Festival. She has worked with various clients on freelance and part-time basis, and is currently working as a Graphic Designer at Peace Niche, The Second Floor. Her main interests lie in Publication and Illustration. You may find her work at www.behance.net/ayeshatariq'

Amra Alam has authored over eighty story books in Urdu for children of all ages. She has also written and translated numerous stories for publication in India, many of which have been further translated into various regional languages. Amra was the founder and Chief Editor of Suntra, a magazine for children in Urdu, publish from 2006 to 2012. She is now a days working as Editor of the Uran Tashtaree, The Flying saucer. This Magazine is published from the platform of Children’s Literature Festival, which is organized by Idara-E –Taleem-o- Agahi and Oxford University Press.

Attiya Dawood, a celebrated Sindhi poet, writer, and activist, has been hailed as ‘the most important feminist writer in Sindhi’ by Shaikh Ayaz, the renowned Sindhi poet. Through her writings, Dawood highlights the oppression of women in Pakistani society in the name of tradition. She raises her voice against misogyny and bias and advocates the empowerment of women. Her poems have been translated into German by Annemarie Schimmel, the noted Iranologist and scholar who has written extensively on Islam and Sufism. They have also been translated into English and Urdu. Two of her poems were published in Jan Goodwin’s anthology The Price of Honour. She has published six books, and her articles on women’s rights, peace, justice, and gender issues have appeared in major national dailies and literary journals. She is a recipient of the Sindh Adeeb Award from Akhil Bharat Sindhi Boli Ain Sahit Sabha, India.

A founder member of the Karachi Literature Festival, Asif Farrukhi is an author, critic, translator and man of letters, who lives in Karachi. He is educated at the Dow Medical College, Karachi, and the Harvard University, USA. Known for his short stories and essays, seven collections of his short fiction and two collections of critical essays have been published. He has published translations of prose and poetry from modern and classical writers. He contributes regularly to the English-language press. Two of his adaptations have been staged in Karachi. He is the Editor of Duniyazad, a literary journal of new writing and contemporary issues in Urdu. Asif Farrukhi’s recent publications include a collection of new critical essays on Manto and Look At The City From Here, an anthology of writings about Karachi, published by OUP.
For his distinguished work, he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Literary Award by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in 1997 and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

Ayub Baloch is a Quetta-based scholar working for the promotion of Anthropology in the Balochistan region. In addition to an LLB, he holds a Masters in Sociology/Anthropology from the University of Karachi and a further Masters in Development Studies from Erasmus University, Holland. He founded in 1995, a research institute, The Institute of Balochistan Studies, dedicated to the study of the region, its peoples and their cultures. Baloch has also served as Secretary to the Government of Balochistan for about a decade and as Member Balochistan Public Service Commission for five years.

Dr Hamida Khuhro is a renowned historian and public figure. She was educated at the Universities of Karachi, Cambridge, London, and Oxford. She taught at the Universities of Karachi, Oxford and, lastly, Sindh, where she was Professor of History. She left to concentrate on writing and politics, and has twice served as Minister for Education and Literacy, Government of Sindh. She has led a number of delegations abroad, and served on political, academic, and government committees. She has published various books including The Making of Modern Sindh, Mohammad Ayub Khuhro: Life of Courage in Politics, and was an editor of Sindh through the Centuries and Papers of the Separation of Sind from Bombay Presidency.

A prominent artist, the works of Khuda Bux Abro reflects an earnest passion for social issues, and portrays these issues effectively. Born in Hyderabad in 1957, he has dabbled in every form of the visual arts. A prolific artist, photographer, illustrator, graphic designer, calligrapher, cartoonist, and blogger. He has held several exhibitions even before he joined the National College of Arts in Lahore. An activist to the core, his work deals with social themes and issues ranging from human rights to dictatorial regimes. His intent is to get the message out, with little interest in commercial success. His sensitivity to the plight of women, and his desire for regional peace, are all expressed strongly in his work. His eye for vibrant colors is as apparent in his photos as in his paintings. He works with Dawn as an illustrator.

Khuda Bux Abro also designed the poster of Children’s literature Festival Karachi 2014.

Mohammad Ahmed Shah’s interest in literature began at a very early age. When he was in class 7, he had memorized Iqbal’s and Ghalib’s poetry and it has been a journey of love ever since. He has dabbled with many arts and is a writer and a producer. He has written a drama serial which gained much popularity in its time. He is the first elected President of the Arts Council and has been organizing numerous events in that capacity. He created the Annual World Urdu Conference in Karachi which has been a successful platform for Urdu writers for five years running. He believes that the youth of the nation is its future, because of which he created the Youth Festivals where they have a chance to showcase their art in different competitions. He is a social and cultural activist and has always been enthusiastic about bringing different forms of theatre and music to the people.

Educationist Shaha Jamshed has been a Teacher for almost 25 years. She is a Director of the Heritage Foundation and Principal of Hampton School, Karachi. Enthusiastic about writing for children, she has recently written a reading series for the under-privileged schools in Sindh as part of the Heritage Foundation’s Parho Pakistan project. With a diversified experience in training, coordination and communications, she believes in encouraging people to build libraries at home.

Dr Shahid Siddiqui is a scholar and academic whose areas of interest include socio-cultural aspects of language, gender, educational change, and critical pedagogy. He obtained his
PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Toronto, Canada, ME.d TESOL from the
University of Manchester, UK, and MA English Language and Literature from Gordon College,
Rawalpindi. Dr. Siddiqui has worked in prestigious universities such as the Aga Khan University, GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Currently, he is Professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences in Lahore School of Economics (LSE). His published books include Rethinking Education in Pakistan: Perceptions, Practices, and Possibilities, Education, Inequalities, and Freedom, and Language, Gender, and Power: Politics of Representation and Hegemony in South Asia. He has also published a novel in Urdu, titled Adhe Adhoore Khawab. He regularly writes on educational and linguistic issues for the editorial pages of national newspapers.

Popular Pakistani musician Shehzad Roy is something of a protean personality. He is a singer, a song writer, a social worker and humanitarian. As a musician, he has recorded five albums, including the 2008 Qismat Apney Haath Mein (‘Fate Lies in One’s Own Hands’). Roy is the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of Pakistan.

Thespianz Theater is a ‘performing arts services’ organization that has been operating on a non-profit basis for over eight years now. The organization has performed 56 professional productions, 34 dance productions, 107 theatre & motivational workshops nationwide and internationally. These include plays, dances, mime shows, eastern operas, and flash mobs. The organization performed a play called Pappu ka Paneer at the Children’s Literary Festival 2012 & 2013 in CLF Lahore. The play is an adaptation of Who Moved My Cheese, a book that was originally written by Dr Spencer Johnson, dealing with the theme of change in one’s life, and is primarily motivational in nature. The Theatre group is devoted to the promotion of cultural activities, performing arts for social issues, Theatre for Development (TFD), workshops, trainings on important subjects, and promotion of primary and secondary education through theatre and working on old traditional string puppetry in Pakistan.

Zehra Nigah is one of the foremost Urdu poets of Pakistan. She was one of two female poets to gain prominence in the 1950s, when the scene was dominated by men. Coming from a well-known literary and intellectual family, she counts the writer, artist, and TV personality
Anwar Maqsood and play writer Fatima Suraiya Bajia among her siblings. Nigah has three collections of poetry to her credit and recently a collected edition of her poems is published in Lahore. Her poetry is remarkable for its lyricism and engagement with social issues. She has received various awards at home and abroad in recognition of her work. She is also a scriptwriter of several popular television serials and films.

The Sindh Education Foundation, Government of Sindh, is a semi-autonomous organization committed to educating and empowering children and communities towards social change by improving access to educational facilities. Since its establishment in 1992 as a semi-autonomous organization, the SEF endeavors have focused on bringing the light of education for the growth and development of those living in remote and disadvantaged areas of the Sindh province in Pakistan. For More Information Visit: http://www.sef.org.pk/

Mr. Aziz Kabani is currently doing his doctorate from Institute of Education from University of London. He has done his Masters of Science in Education Research Methodology from Oxford University, UK and his Post graduate in Islamic studies and Humanities. Mr. Kabani has been working in the Education sector for the past 12 years and is currently designated as Director Programs, Operations and Research at the Sindh Education Foundation.

Grips Theatre Group Karachi was founded in 1982 at the behest of the Goethe Institute here. Initially, plays were performed in English, the English translated play scripts being provided by the Goethe institute. After two plays in English, it was decided that to reach out to more people the plays should be adapted in Urdu. The original Grips plays had strong and positive messages for the people generally and children especially. The founding director of the Theatre Group was the Late Yasmin Ismail. Faiza Qazi has been in charge since Yasmin’s demise. Other members are Sajeeruddin, Maria Hosain, and Khaled Anam, later on joined by Aysha Sheikh, Ameed Riaz, and Ali Saleem. Renowned television actors also perform as and when required.

Zara Mumtaz has been associated with the field of education since 1965 and as the Director, Extra-Curricular Activities, Beaconhouse, spread the culture of performing arts to all its campuses. She is also the author of three activity / phonics-based books for pre-primary education published by the Oxford University Press. Each book is accompanied by an audio-cassette/CD and these books have been in continuous publication since 1995.
Zara Mumtaz has been collecting and writing folk, traditional and original songs for children for over 40 years. The Oxford University Press has published one such collection with accompanying audio-cassette/CD under the name “Nanhi Nazmein Kheil Aur Geet”, currently in its 16th edition. Another collection of folk-tales in the oral tradition of the sub-continent was launched at the First Children’s Literature Festival, Lahore 2011 entitled “Anna Bua Ki Kahanian”. It was nominated by OUP as one of the best Children’s publication in Urdu in 2012.
As a playwright and director, Zara has produced more than two dozen scripts for stage and television based on various themes such as the environment (for WWF), the girl-child (for Sanjan Nagar), health education (for the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre), speech-impaired children (for Gung Mahal), and folk-lore, with casts of up to 100 children at a time. She also produced and directed the Golden Jubilee play at the The Alhamra Children’s Library Complex in 1997 and choreographed an item representing Pakistan at the International Children’s Festival in Ankara, Turkey in 1995. She is also an award winner for Best Script for a children’s television serial, entitled “Peeli Kothi”.

Zambeel Dramatic Readings aims to present texts in Urdu and English rendered in their dramatized form, to create a dynamic collusion between literature and performance. Referencing traditions of storytelling and the contemporary form of the radio play, Zambeel’s works traverse time and geographical boundaries to interpret and enliven narratives through sound and recitation. Zambeel Dramatic Readings was founded by Mahvash Faruqi, Asma Mundrawala and Saife Hasan in September 2011.

Syed Meesam Naqvi graduated from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) with a diploma in Theatre Arts. Since his graduation he has acted in and directed well-known productions by NAPA as well as its Repertory Company, and has also acted in and directed plays for television.Meesam is a regular performer for Zambeel Dramatic Readings.

Nazr ul Hasan graduated from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in 2009. Now associated with NAPA as visiting faculty, he has acted in well-known theatre productions with the Napa Repertory Theatre and has performed in festivals within Pakistan (PNCA 2009) and internationally (NSD 2013, Kolkata Literature Festival 2013). Nazr has recently performed with Zambeel Dramatic Readings in January 2014.

Danish Faruqi graduated from McGill University with a Major in Economics. He now works with Teach for Pakistan, teaching English at the Gizri Government School. He also creates electronic music and has recently produced the original score for Zambeel’s production SamandarkiChoriat the multi tiered art and performance project Pursukoon Karachi.

Zeerak Ahmed is a mixed media artist and singer. She started training with Ustaad Rauf Sami eight years ago. After graduating in Studio Art from Hiram College, OH, she moved back to Karachi where she currently works on art and music.