Lionel Shriver is the author of 10 novels and the recipient of the 2005 Orange Prize for her acclaimed book We Need to Talk About Kevin, recently adapted into a major motion picture. With her gift for psychological portraiture and a knack for skewering timely social phenomena, Shriver's work is "tough, complicated, brilliant," according to The New Republic's Ruth Franklin. "Shriver isn’t the kind of writer who lets her themes bubble up opaquely; she seizes them and interrogates them for all they’re worth." Shriver is also a respected journalist whose work has appeared in such publications as The Guardian, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. In her new novel, Shriver examines cults of personality and terrorism in an alternate past.

Heidi Julavits is co-editor of The Believer, a literary magazine she founded with Dave Eggers, which was described by A.O. Scott as part of "a generational struggle against laziness and cynicism, to raise once again the banners of creative enthusiasm and intellectual engagement." Her anti-snark manifesto Rejoice! Believe! Be Strong and Read Hard!, lobbying against mean-spirited book reviews, appeared in the debut issue. She is the author of three novels, including The Uses of Enchantment, about a young girl's faked abduction,and The Mineral Palace, a depression-era story of sexual corruption and infanticide—both New York Times Notable Books. Her new novel, The Vanishers is a meditation on grief, female rivalry, and the power of a daughter's love.