Kaupo Meiel (1975) is an Estonian poet and journalist. His literary debut Polügrafisti käsiraamat (2006) was one of the first books published by the Ji publishers in its poetry series and was notable for its experimental and conceptual approach, dealing with issues of writing and printing. Meiel is one of the Estonian poets emerging in the late 2000s whose work highlights the possibilities of puns and wordplay. Since his book Eesti elulood (2008), Meiel has written poetry rich in aphorisms, wordplay and punchlines. In recent years, he has been mostly active as a cultural journalist and also as a consultant for the only literary television programme in Estonia, Kirjandusministeerium (Ministry of Literature) – which is why he has been called the chancellor for the Minister for Literature. In 2016, Meiel was awarded the fifth class Order of the White Star.

Ilmar Taska (1953) is an Estonian film director and producer, and writer. Taska gained prominence as an international film and theatre figure, having emigrated to Sweden in 1978 and then on to the United States. He began writing in the second decade of the new millennium, publishing the autobiographical book Parem kui elu in 2011. It describes Taska’s life in Hollywood and working at the famous Twentieth Century Fox studios, but also includes short stories. In 2014, the literary magazine Looming recognised Taska’s short story Pobeda. The title refers to a popular car produced in the Soviet Union in the 1940s and 1950s, and Taska uses the same motif in his best-known literary work, his debut novel Pobeda 1946. The book looks at the effect the Iron Curtain has on people’s personal lives, with the reality of the Stalinist society clashing with the dreams of the people living in it.

Triin Soomets (1969) is an Estonian poet and prose writer. She arrived on the Estonian poetry scene in the famous collection of female authors Luulekassett ‘90, published in 1990, featuring her book of poems Sinine linn. Soomets has published more than ten books of poetry. In 2013, her collection Asjade omadused won the poetry prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment. The poetry of Soomets stands out with its seamless connecting of seemingly conflicting phenomena: corporeality and abstraction, intimacy and philosophy. On the surface, her texts are calm, even cool, but under the surface anything but. Soomets is at once concrete and universal, economically precise, yet enjoys playing with language. She has also published two poetry collections: Soon in 2000 and Valitud omadused in 2016. In 2012, Soomets began publishing poetry for children and writing fantastic short stories reminiscent of parables.