Born in 1856, in Chittenango, New York, L. Frank Baum is best remembered for his monumental 1900 classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He returned frequently to the magical world he'd created, writing 13 books set in Oz. His considerable literary output included 55 novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and many miscellaneous writings, including scripts and "lost" novels. He passed away in 1919.

Regina Barreca is a professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut. She is the editor of seven books, including The Penguin Book of Women's Humor, and the author of four others. She writes frequently for the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Hartford Courant.