Maliha Ahmed Alshehab is a Saudi feminist, activist and writer who has published numerous articles through a variety of outlets on Saudi women and their human rights struggles. From 2007 to 2010 she was a columnist for Al Watan, the leading newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Due to the controversial nature of her articles, she was terminated from her position at Al Watan and unable to find another media outlet in Saudi Arabia willing to publish her work. She is currently a columnist for Al Rai, a newspaper based in Kuwait. Many of her articles have received awards including the King Faisal University Award and the Imam Mohammed University Award. In January 2010 her first book (Arabic) was released, entitled Saudi Woman: Voice and Image, which will be available during the book signing after the presentations.

Rafiah Al-Talei is a seasoned Omani journalist and frequent commentator on several Arabic television and radio programs. Among the positions she has held in the Omani press is Editor-in-chief of Al Mar'ah, Oman's only bi-lingual women’s magazine. An advocate for civil and women’s rights in the Middle East, she became the first woman to run as a candidate for Oman’s parliament. She currently is a frequent contributor to the Arab Reform Bulletin released by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace of Washington DC, and a columnist for Al Shabiba, a daily newspaper based in Muscat, Oman.