Coleman Barks

Coleman Barks is a modern American translator of the thirteenth century poet Rumi. If you haven't heard of Rumi you are missing out. Barks was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at the University of North Carolina and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Georgia for thirty years. He is the author of numerous Rumi translations and has been a student of Sufism since 1977. His work with Rumi was the subject of an hour-long segment in Bill Moyers's Language of Life series on PBS, and he is a featured poet and translator in Bill Moyers's poetry special, "Fooling with Words." http://www.colemanbarks.com/

Brad Newsham

The Zip Book would like to offer a special thanks to Brad Newsham for contributing two amazing zips. Brad is the author of two wonderfully entertaining books, Take Me With You and All the Right Places. On Sept 11, 2002, he launched Backpack Nation, a project designed "To transform the West's 2-3 million independent travelers into an army of global ambassadors, emissaries of peace, a roving force for good, and thereby help to save our world." You can learn much more about Brad and find an interesting picture of him on his website. http://www.bradnewsham.com/

Jeff Biggers

Jeff Biggers has worked as a writer, educator, radio correspondent, and community organizer across the United States, Europe, India and Mexico. His award-winning stories have appeared on NPR, PRI, and in scores of travel, literary and music magazines, and national and foreign newspapers. He has been a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and for Pacific News Service national syndication. He is the author of In The Sierra Madre and The United States of Appalachia. Born in Ohio, raised in Illinois and Arizona, he earned a B.A. in History and English at Hunter College in New York City. He also studied at the University of California in Berkeley, Columbia University and the University of Arizona. He and his wife Carla, and their two boys, Diego and Massimo, presently divide their time between Illinois and Italy. http://www.jeffbiggers.com/