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Adam Schwartzman was born in Johannesburg in 1973. After completing degrees in English literature and development studies at Oxford University, he held positions in the South African National Treasury, the World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation. He is the author of three books of poetry--*The Good Life, The Dirty Life, and Other Stories*; *Merrie Afrika!; and Book of Stones*--as well as the anthology *Ten South African Poets*. Eddie Signwriter is his first novel. He lives in Istanbul, Turkey, with his wife and daughter.

James Kwak is currently a student at the Yale Law School. Previously, he was a management consultant at McKinsey and Company and co-founder of a successful software company. James received an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard College and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. He is coauthor, with Simon Johnson, of *The Baseline Scenario*, a leading economic blog.

Chet Manchester has written a screenplay on Mary Baker Eddy.

Deepak Chopra is the author of more than 50 books translated into over 35 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. Dr. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. Time magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine".

Jeff Shesol is a founding partner of West Wing Writers, a speechwriting and communications strategy firm. He became a speechwriter for President Clinton after Clinton read and liked his first book, *Mutual Contempt*. Before he became a speechwriter, Jeff wrote and drew a syndicated comic strip, "Thatch," which appeared daily in more than 150 newspapers. A Rhodes Scholar, Jeff got his masters in history from Oxford University in 1993. He was the 2002 Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies at Princeton University, where he taught a course on the history of the presidential speech.

Lily Xiying Yang and Honglei Li are new media artists from Beijing, currently based in New York City. Since 2005, they have been working under the collective name Lily & Honglei. They create new artistic expressions by integrating traditional and digital art forms. Utilizing online virtual world applications and digital animation, Lily & Honglei reinterpret Chinese folkloric traditions that metaphorically reflect current global cultures and societies. Lily & Honglei have exhibited internationally, including: FILE (Brazil), SIGGRAPH, Jamaica Flux (New York), Museum of Art and Design (New York), Microwave New Media Fest (Hong Kong), Eyebeam Art + Technology Center (New York), Terna 02 Prize (Rome), and 404 international festival of electronic art (Argentina). Lily & Honglei both received their BFAs in Painting from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing) in 1997. In 2007, Honglei earned his MFA in painting from UMass Dartmouth, while Lily received her MFA in Digital Media in UMass Dartmouth in 2008.

Robert Whitaker is the prize-winning author of _Anatomy of an Epidemic, Mad in America_, and co-author of _Psychiatry Under the Influence_. He is also the founder of the resource/info organization Mad in America.com. Mr. Whitaker has won numerous awards as a journalist covering medicine and science, including the George Polk Award for Medical Writing and a National Association for Science Writers’ Award for best magazine article. In 1998, he co-wrote a series on psychiatric research for _The Boston Globe _that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. His first book, _Mad in America_, was named by _Discover_ magazine as one of the best science books of 2002. _Anatomy of an Epidemic_ won the 2010 Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism. He is the publisher of madinamerica.com.

Maida was a founding director of the Buddhist quarterly Tricycle, and was producer/director of* Peace Is Every Step, The Simple Life, On the Luce, Rock Soup*, and *In Search of Green Gold*. He is currently the executive director of the nonprofit Tea Arts Institute. He has served on the boards of Point Foundation, the Japanese Cultural Arts Center, the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, and other nonprofits in New York and California, and is a principal of Maida+Associates, a consulting firm with media, hospitality/housing and nonprofit clients.

Tricia McCannon is a writer, teacher, and speaker about various facets of the world’s mystery religions. She has been a guest on more than 150 national TV and radio shows, including the popular series Sightings, Unsolved Mysteries, and Strange Universe. She lives in Georgia.

Rafraf Barrak was born into a Shiite Muslim family in Baghdad, Iraq. As a student at Baghdad University, she had pursued a degree in English Literature until the University was closed due to war. Her knowledge of the city of Baghdad and her skills in English won her a job as a translator for NBC war correspondents. She is now a student in the United States and lives with the Teague family in Texas.

Adam Ruben spent seven years at Johns Hopkins University earning his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. While there, he parlayed his healthy disdain for academia into a stand-up comedy act, which he has performed at clubs, colleges, and private functions from Boston to San Diego, recently opening for Dane Cook's Tourgasm at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. and earning second place in the Funniest Jewish Comic Contest at the Laugh Factory in Times Square. For five years, Adam has taught an undergraduate stand-up comedy class that has quickly become one of the most popular January "Intersession" courses at Johns Hopkins University and culminates in a final show open to all students. He's written humor pieces for *The National Lampoon* and appears weekly on *Food Detectives* with Ted Allen.

Deborah Milstein, is a contributor to *The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010: True Stories from Around the World*.