Four Kuvastaja Prize nominees from Ahlbäck Agency!

Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015, and The Moonday Letters (Kuunpäivän kirjeet) in September 2020. Her new title Snowsinger (Lumenlaulaja) was published in 2025.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award).

Itäranta’s CV is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Photo credit: Liisa Takala

J. S. Meresmaa

J. S. Meresmaa (b. 1983, she/they) is an award-winning Finnish author of fantasy and other speculative fiction. A versatile and imaginative storyteller, Meresmaa has been nominated for multiple literature prizes, and her books have earned glowing praise from both critics and readers.

Her backlist spans more than 30 titles, ranging from picture books and chapter books to middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction. Meresmaa writes across formats—including novels, short stories, and verse novels—and she is constantly exploring new creative territory. Meresmaa’s recent titles include the middle-grade horror trilogy Lumola (Monster Manor), the ongoing chapter book series Hirviöhoitola (Monster Care), and the romantic cottagecore YA fantasy The Witch of Sardesia. Formerly a gardener and warehouse worker, she is now a full-time author. Meresmaa lives in Tampere, Finland, surrounded by an ever-growing collection of books and plants, and by the cheerful company of her guinea pigs.

Photo credit: Outi Puhakka

Mari Renko

Mari Renko (b. 1994) is an Eastern Finnish author from Kuopio. She writes both the two-timeline romantic book series The Yellow House Chronicles aimed at adults, as well as The Fader Files, which combines YA fantasy and detective adventures. She wrote her debut novel Pearl Ring, Enclosed after growing tired of the one-dimensional male heroes in romantic books. Her goal is to show that the world is full of different love stories, each worth telling, even if they don’t end in marriage and children, or even if the love in question is something other than romantic love.

In fantasy, Mari is fascinated by other worlds where one can escape everyday life, and by gripping adventures into which important themes can be woven, without forgetting romance.

Mari has studied medicine and writing. She is also active on book-related social media, where she talks about her writing and shares writing tips.
On Instagram and TikTok, you can find Mari under the username @renkomari.

Photo credit: Anna-Katri Hänninen Bazar kustannus

Siri Kolu

Siri Kolu (born July 18, 1972) is a writer, performance dramaturg, director, and theater teacher. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree as Drama Instructor (BA). Prior to her theater studies, she pursued literature and theater studies at the University of Helsinki.

With her funny and original adventure Me and the Robberssons Kolu won the children’s novel and film script competition in the fall of 2009. The book was published in April 2010, and won the Finlandia Prize in Children’s & YA literature. The film adaptation hit theaters in the fall of 2014. Me and the Robberssons has been translated into over 20 languages.

Me and the Robbersons has also won the Silver Slate Pencil Award in the Netherlands and has been listed twice for the The English Pen Award. She has also been honored with the Laivakello Prize by the Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature, Topelius Prize and Kaarina Helakisa Literary Prize.

Photo credit: Sabina Bqain