Alice Walker is one of the most prolific writers of our time, known for her literary fiction, including the Pultizer Prize-winning The Color Purple, her many volumes of poetry, and her powerful nonfiction collections. Her advocacy for the dispossessed has spanned the globe. She lives in Northern California.

Rudolph P. Byrd is a professor of American studies and the founding director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute at Emory University. His books include The Essential Writings of James Weldon Johnson and Charles Johnson's Novels: Writing the American Palimpsest. He played an instrumental role in Emory's acquisition of the papers of Georgia native Alice Walker in 2008-2009 and is the founding co-chair of the Alice Walker Literary Society.