The guy on the left is Vince Penders… just call me Vincenzo. The brain behind this teaching method – that’s me. Creative to the bone, a cheerful perfectionist. Previously employed at Maastricht University, I work as an independent teacher nowadays, and tutor roughly 300 students per year while constantly improving my book. On those rare occasions when I’m not working or seeing friends, you will find me cooking, playing a Nintendo game, or writing fiction with epic music in my ears. That’s right: novels are my other passion. The upcoming one, Een beer en een boerka, tells the tale of a man who believed that he was something small and fluffy. Like my debut novel Zwaluwhart, it will be published by Macc later this year.

My sister Chelsy Penders (in front) sings, dances and works as an interior decorator. Where my artistic voice is the written word, hers is the hand-made drawing in every shape and style. She will take on any project that appeals to her visual talents. Chelsy’s versatility is obvious from the many illustrations that populate this book, as well as the slick lay-out with its gorgeous colour schemes (please excuse my lack of pride for her work). Her Maine Coon cats love getting cuddly when she’s drawing at home, so if you spot a cat paw somewhere, make sure to let us know.

And this is Sophia von Stockert, a former student of mine and a good friend nowadays. She is passionate about research, statistics and writing. A dedicated statistics tutor in the past, she inspired students to get into all the cool stuff that one can do with stats and methods. This is why I brought her on board as an editor of Pirates, Peaches and P-values. Sophia holds a Research Master’s degree in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, and currently works as a data analyst in Berlin. In her free time she goes bouldering and reviews and translates books and manuscripts.

My good friend Ward Schoonbrood is an entrepreneurial project manager and consultant, focusing on creative industry in the region. A family man who cares about his hometown Maastricht. More or less single-handedly, Ward joined the crew when I presented my idea for a new teaching method to him: he largely designed our initial multi-media approach, and came up with the project name on the side – Pirates, Peaches and P-values. He advises PPP regarding general strategy and assists me by managing special projects.