Jennifer Grotz is the author of three books of poetry: Cusp, The Needle, and Window Left Open, just out from Graywolf Press. She teaches at the University of Rochester and serves as assistant director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and director of the Bread Loaf Translators' Conference.

Percival Everett is the author of a bunch of novels, a few collections of stories, and a couple of volumes of poems. His latest books are Half an Inch of Water and Trouts Lie. He is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.

Dana Gioia is a poet and critic. The author of four books of poetry, three collections of criticism, and three opera libretti, he served six years as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He currently teaches at the University of Southern California. In 2002, he won the American Book Award in poetry.

Paul Lisicky is the author of five books including The Narrow Door, Unbuilt Projects, and The Burning House. He teaches in the MFA program at Rutgers University-Camden and serves on the Writing Committee of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.

Diane Seuss is the author of three collections of poetry: It Blows You Hollow; Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open; and Four-Legged Girl. She has also received a Pushcart Prize. Seuss is writer in residence at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.