Shalom Auslander was raised as an Orthodox Jew in Spring Valley, NY. Nominated for the prestigious Koret Award for writers under thirty-five, he has published articles in Esquire and stories for This American Life. Beware of God is a surreal collection of stories where you'll meet a man who searches Home Depot for supplies for an ark and a boy who mistakes Holocaust Remembrance Day as emergency preparedness training for the future.

Eric Bogosian is the author of Mall, a novel, and the plays, Talk Radio, SubUrbia, and Griller. He has won Obie awards for his solo performances Drinking in America, Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead, and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. The recipient of the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear and Drama Desk awards, as well as two NEA fellowships, he has also appeared as an actor in film and television. Wasted Beauty is a novel of urban desperation and desire and a cutting commentary on contemporary culture.