James Tolan received his PhD in English and creative writing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the author of Filched (Dos Madres Press, 2017) and Mass of the Forgotten (Autumn House Press, 2013), and co-editor of New America: Contemporary Literature for a Changing Society (Autumn House Press, 2012). He was the recipient of honors from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and taught English and creative writing at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. 

Holly Messitt is an Associate Professor of English at the City University of New York/Borough of Manhattan Community, where she is co-coordinator of the Writing Across the Curriculum program and chair of the Writing and Literature program. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Drew University.