Amin holds degrees in Visual Communication and Painting and has taught art at esteemed universities for many years. His ongoing involvement as a judge, designer, art director, and project manager in numerous festivals and artistic events has established him as a dynamic and influential figure in the art world.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Amin is a creative and accomplished leader in the publishing and literary industry. As the founder and director of two publishing houses and a literary department, he has played a pivotal role in advancing cultural and literary initiatives.

He has also conducted extensive and diverse research in the fields of literary studies and interdisciplinary approaches to art, reflecting a deep and multifaceted perspective on creativity and critical thought.

Asal Bassir is an Iranian Canadian visual artist, born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and migrated to Canada in 2009. She earned a BFA with Honors in Visual Arts from York University in 2024. Her work is deeply influenced by years of artistic practice and a personal journey shaped by cultural displacement. By combining various methods and mediums, she explores the relation between memory and resilience as a visual narrative that speaks to the collective memory of displacement.

Behnam Raeesian is a distinguished Iranian poster designer, curator, and visionary creative thinker with a profound impact on the global design industry. With nearly two decades of experience, he excels as both an artist and an educator, widely sharing his expertise and leadership.

Raeesian has served on prestigious juries in the USA, Mexico, Italy, Russia, France, Cyprus, and Ecuador, and as a committee consultant in Turkey. His work has been showcased in over 170 exhibitions across 50 countries, earning him international acclaim.

Deeply committed to education, Raeesian has led numerous workshops on creativity and poster design at various universities, inspiring and mentoring the next generation of designers. His career is a blend of artistic excellence, educational dedication, and global recognition, making him a leading figure in the world of design.

Dr. Davood Khazaie, born in Iran in 1973, completed his early education in Kermanshah before obtaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Shiraz University. He spent a decade teaching English literature at Persian Gulf University in Bushehr. His doctoral dissertation at Osnabrück University, Germany, titled "Human Frailties and Faculties: Social Relationships in English, Persian and German Folktales," was published in 2019. A prominent member of the Shiraz University Center for Children’s Literature Studies (SUCCLS), Khazaie has contributed extensively to the comparative study of folktales and fairy tales, children’s literature, translation studies, Persian classical literature, and Renaissance literature and art. He has recently completed the pioneering “Critical Dictionary of Children’s Literature” in Persian, set to publish in 2025, featuring around 200 essays on key terms of the field. Since 2008, Khazaie has also served as the international curator for Pashmin Art Consortia, where he has organized numerous global museum exhibitions and edited over 20 art books. His essays on contemporary artists are featured in art magazines across English, German, French, and Chinese languages, showcasing his wide-reaching contribution to the global art discourse. Beginning in December 2022, he has been offering his insights on contemporary artists through lectures, soon to be featured on his YouTube channel, @ArtisticLiteratus. His work explores the complexities of cultural narratives, establishing him as a pivotal figure bridging cultures and academic fields.

Dr. Johari Imani Murray is Teaching and Research Professor at Valencia International University with expertise in language, culture, and literature. Specialised in bilingual education and transnational children's literature, she focuses on issues of diversity, inclusion and social justice. An engaging speaker and author with impactful research, Johari is passionate about shaping the discourses within the Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in Social Anthropology, History of Psychology and Education, Cum Laude, from UNED-Madrid, an MA in Deaf Education and Bilingual Education from TC Columbia University and a BA with Honors in English and psychology from Manhattanville University.

Mary is a creative strategist and storyteller with a background in content creation and project management. Her work sits at the intersection of art, communication, and social impact—where visual culture and purposeful messaging meet.

With an eye for detail and a passion for meaningful narratives, Mary weaves together marketing insight and artistic vision. She is also actively involved in researching workplace health and safety, exploring how creativity and communication can foster stronger, safer communities—both on and off the page.

Mohsen Khodadadi is a multidisciplinary creative and technologist, blending over a decade of experience in software engineering with a deep passion for art, culture, and design. As a team member of CooterMag, he brings a unique perspective to the art world—where code meets creativity.

Whether curating digital experiences or developing platforms that support artists and storytellers, Mohsen approaches every project with precision, imagination, and heart. His work bridges the gap between technology and artistic expression, making complex ideas beautifully accessible.

Neda has a Ph.D. in English Literature. She has been active in projects at SUCCLS; especially the ‘Picturebook Group’ which worked on the Encyclopedia of Iranian Picturebooks project. In 2018, she got the fellowship from the International Youth Library in Munich to do research under the title of “Studying the Concept of Empowerment in Selected Picturebooks at the White Ravens Lists since 2015”. She has also coauthored two chapters in The Routledge Companion to International Children’s Literature (2018). Her research interests are: empowerment in Children’s and YA Literature, novels, picturebooks and theory of Children’s Literature.

Dr. Xavier Mínguez-Lopez is Associate Professor in the Department of Didactics of Language and Literature at the University of Valencia. He conducted his Phd on Interculturality in Catalan Literature for Children and Young People. He was Researcher at Yokohama National University in Japan where he carried on a research on comprehension of Japanese animation, and also in the International Youth Library in Munich. His other lines of research are Children’s Literature, Literary Education and Animation. He has published more than a dozen of books for children. He is co-director of the Journal of Literary Education.