A writer of “intelligence, humor, and grace,” Wendy Lesser possesses a “contagious love of reading” (Library Journal), which is wholly apparent in her many essays, works of fiction, and attentive editing.  Founder of the acclaimed Three Penny Review, she is the author of six previous books. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. “Enabling the reader to grasp the deeper workings of art forms, both high and low” (The New York Times Book Review), Why I Read draws upon Lesser’s decades as an editor and a lifetime spent celebrating the transcendent power of the written word. 

Since his 1985 debut, Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance, novelist Richard Powers has tackled an astonishing range of themes and techniques in his work. From his exploration of the intersections of art, technology, science, and literature, we “can no longer be surprised about whatever he dares to think in ink about” (Harper’s Magazine). Among his plethora of awards are a MacArthur Fellowship, the Lannan Literary Award, and two Pushcart prizes. He is the author of 11 novels, including The Echo Maker, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the National Book Award. In Orfeo, the “lucid, fiercely entertaining” (The Washington Post Book World) Powers tells the story of a falsely accused amateur scientist who hatches a plan to turn his persecution into a work of soaring beauty.