| May/June 2007

Julia Whitty ("Gone") is an eminent chronicler of natural life, most recently in her new book, The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific. She also blogs for MotherJones.com's The Blue Marble.

Barbara Kingsolver ("Seeing Red") a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, has authored five novels, including The Poisonwood Bible, and numerous short stories. Her first nonfiction book, a memoir on eating local, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, comes out in May.

Robert Andrew Powell ("Fitting Tribute") is the author of We Own This Game and a contributor to the New York Times Magazine and "This American Life." After his cousin was murdered over a gold chain in 2000, Hank Willis Thomas began probing the effect of "petty commodities on African American communities." His work ran in 25 Under 25: Up-and-Coming American Photographers and Black: A Celebration of a Culture.

Randall Patterson ("Not in Their Back Yard") says of reporting on asbestos in El Dorado Hills: "It was as though the local officials had taken all their lines straight out of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People."

Nir Rosen ("Riding Shotgun With Our Shadow Army in Iraq") wrote about Lebanon in the January/February 2007 issue.

Randall Patterson

Hank Willis Thomas

Robert Andrew Powell

Barbara Kingsolver

Kai Wright

Kimberly Lisagor

Kai Wright ("Psst, Got Antiretrovirals?") is completing a book about coming of age black, brown, and gay in New York City.

JoAnn Wypijewski ("A Message to You, Rudy") recalls New York before Rudy Giuliani's clean sweeps erased the city's graffiti and, with it, political will: "In 1987 act-up ignited protest with panache. It's harder to go along 'La-la-la, not my business' when everywhere the street is whispering, 'Silence = death.'"

Kimberly Lisagor ("Paying for My Hot Air") cowrote the forthcoming Places to See Before They Die.

Josh Harkinson ("Burnt by the Man") and Daniel Schulman ("Don't Whistle While You Work") are Mother Jones investigative reporters.

Leslie Savan ("Teflon Is Forever") a former Village Voice columnist, is a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Jason Holley ("P.S.") says he's considered one of the most interesting, original illustrators living today. He also plays in a junkyard band called Ukefink.