Dame Carol Ann Duffy is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, the first female and the first Scottish Poet Laureate in the role’s 400-year history, serving in this position until her term ended in 2019.

Imtiaz Dharker is a Pakistani-British poet, artist, and video film-maker. She won the Queen's Gold Medal for her poetry and was appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University from January 2020.

Patricia Smith is an American poet, spoken-word performer, playwright, author, writing teacher, and former journalist. She won the 2025 National Book Award for Poetry for her collection The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems; in 2026, the collection was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Fleur Adcock CNZM OBE was a New Zealand poet, editor and translator. Born in Papakura, New Zealand, and raised partly in England, Adcock spent most of her adult life in the United Kingdom, where she became a prominent figure in contemporary poetry.