Contributors

Thomas Beller is the author of two works of fiction, Seduction Theory: Stories, The Sleep-Over Artist, and How to Be a Man, a collection of personal essays. A life-long resident of New York City, he is a co-founder and editor of Open City Magazine and creator of the Web site www.mrbellersneighborhood.com.

Shoshana Berger is the founder and editor in chief of ReadyMade magazine. Her first book: ReadyMade: How to Make (Almost) Everything was recently published by Random House.

Since graduating from college in 1998, Carson Brown has lived in six apartments in northern California and Mexico and worked more than thirty different jobs. She hopes to enter medical school to become an integrative physician.

Sasha Cagen is the author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics and founder of International Quirkyalone Day, a growing alternative to Valentine’s Day that celebrates all forms of love on February 14. She is also the founding editor of To-Do List: a magazine of meaningful minutiae. www.todolistblog.com

Anna Chlumsky is an actress living in New York City. After an early career in show biz, she received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and studied at the Atlantic Theater School in Chelsea.

Meghan Daum is the author of the novel The Quality of Life Report and the essay collection My Misspent Youth. She has contributed to National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and This American Life and has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, Harper’s, GQ, Vogue, Self, New York, Radar, Black Book, Harper’s Bazaar, The Village Voice, The New York Times Book Review, and The Los Angeles Times.
www.meghandaum.com

Opal Desaire lives in Denver and works in cash management. She is still in search of Prince Charming.

Sarah Eisenstein works as a freelance writer and coordinates the Adult Literacy Program at Brooklyn’s IMANI House.

Tim Gihring lives in Minneapolis and works as a writer for Minnesota Monthly magazine. His work has appeared in Utne, Japan Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Brian Grivna spent two years teaching English in the public schools of Sapporo, Japan. While there, he developed a severe pachinko addiction that ultimately left him penniless. He currently resides in Minneapolis, rebuilding his bankroll as a software engineer.

Jordan Harrison’s plays include Finn in the Underworld (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Kid-Simple (Humana Festival), and The Museum Play. A resident playwright at New Dramatists, Jordan has received fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the NEA/TCG Playwright-in-Residence Program.

Pagan Kennedy has authored seven books, and has two more forthcoming. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Boston Globe Magazine, Dwell, Utne, and many other publications. Her most recent nonfiction book was named a New York Times Notable of 2002 and a Massachusetts Book Award winner.
Pagan's website

David Kolek has also written three novels, none of which have been published, despite putting his best face forward. He works as a lawyer in San Francisco.

Ariana Lamorte is a writer, mother, and teacher, whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine. Her most recent play, Transition, chronicles the unsettled lives of twentysomethings, and has been performed at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City and City Lights Theater in San Jose, California.

Thisbe Nissen is the author of two novels, Osprey Island and The Good People of New York, and a story collection, Out of the Girls’ Room and into the Night. She is also the co-author (with Erin Ergenbright) of The Ex-Boyfriend Cookbook. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Jessica Nordell is a writer living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has written sketch comedy for A Prairie Home Companion and produced the Literary Friendships radio series for Minnesota Public Radio.

Catherine Price is founder and editor-in-chief of Salt magazine and has written for The New York Times, The Associated Press, Esquire, McSweeney's, and Health Magazine, among other places. When not stressing out about the effect that higher interest rates will have on her ability to ever own a home, she’s working on a book of personal essays about her attempts to become a real grown-up.

Evan Ratliff’s reporting and humor writing have appeared in The New Yorker, Wired, ReadyMade, and other shiny publications.

Davy Rothbart is the creator of FOUND magazine, a regular contributor to public radio’s This American Life, and author of the story collection The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. His work has been featured in the New York Times and High Times.

Barbara Rushkoff is the founder of the zine, Plotz and author of the book Jewish Holiday Fun For You!

Joel Stein is a Sunday op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times and a contributing writer at Time. He also writes for the ABC sitcom, Crumbs.

Sarah Vowell is the author of Assassination Vacation, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Take the Cannoli, and Radio On. She is a contributing editor for public radio’s This American Life. She is also a McSweeney’s person and the voice of teenage superhero Violet Parr in Pixar Animation Studios’ The Incredibles.

Ethan Watters is the author of three books, most recently Urban Tribes, which is being developed into a feature film by Warner Bros. His nonfiction has been published widely in such publications as The New York Times Magazine, Wired, and GQ.