Born and raised in Seattle, Joshua Marie Wilkinson is the author of five books of poetry, most recently Selenography. He has also edited two anthologies for University of Iowa Press, including Poets on Teaching, due out fall 2010. A tour documentary about the band Califone, entitled Made a Machine by Describing the Landscape, is also forthcoming. He teaches at Loyola University Chicago, and divides his time between Chicago and Athens, GA.

Tim Rutili is a musician, filmmaker, and visual artist. He is principal songwriter, lyricist, and vocalist for Red Red Meat and Califone, bands which he founded. He is also a member of Ugly Casanova and Boxhead Ensemble. Rutili has composed music for documentary and feature films and contributed to albums by Modest Mouse, Sage Francis, and many other artists. He has directed numerous short films and music videos. His feature-film directorial debut All My Friends Are Funeral Singers had its premier at the 2010 Sundance film festival. He lives in Los Angeles and Chicago.