Susan L. T. Ashley is Associate Professor in Creative and Cultural Industries at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Her research looks at what, how and why heritage knowledge is created, shaped, communicated and consumed in the public sphere. The collaborations that supported Dr Ashley's AHRC research '(Multi)Cultural Heritag' stimulated the development of this book.

Degna Stone, an award-winning poet living in north east England, is currently undertaking a PhD in Cultural Studies at Northumbria University, examining visibility and expression in African, Asian and Caribbean diaspora arts and heritage in the north of England. Their poetry pulls towards the dark seam of life, raising questions about social injustice and complacency.