Parini, Jay: - Jay Parini is a poet, novelist, and biographer. He is Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College in Vermont. Among his books are THE LAST STATION (Holt, 1990), BENJAMIN'S CROSSING (Holt, 1997), THE ART OF SUBTRACTION: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (Braziller, 2005), and WHY POETRY MATTERS (Yale, 2008). He has written biographies of John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, and William Faulkner. He has edited numerous books, including THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE (Oxford, 2004) and THE WADSWORTH ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY (Wadsworth, 2006).

Bendixen, Alfred: - Alfred Bendixen is Professor of English at Texas A& M University. He is the founder of the American Literature Association, which he currently serves as Executive Director. His books include HAUNTED WOMEN (Continuum International, 1985), an edition of the composite novel, THE WHOLE FAMILY (Olympic Marketing Group, 1986), "THE AMBER GODS" AND OTHER STORIES BY HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD, (Rutgers UP, 1989), and EDITH WHARTON: NEW CRITICAL ESSAYS (Garland, 1992). He is the associate editor of the CONTINUUM ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE (Continuum International, 1999) and the co-editor of the CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING (Cambridge UP, scheduled for publication in 2008).