Donald Barthelme (1931-1989) was the author of seven story collections and the selected editions Sixty Stories and Forty Stories. He also wrote novels, a book of parodies, and a children's book that was awarded the National Book Award. A recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award for his short stories, he was also founder and director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston.

Charles McGrath, editor, is a writer at large at The New York Times, and was formerly editor of The New York Times Book Review and deputy editor of The New Yorker. McGrath lives in New Jersey.