Bethanne Patrick has always been an enthusiastic and engaged reader of books, so when she started writing about authors and publishing in 1996, she brought her own interest to the stories she told and the writers she interviewed. In 2001, after years of freelance writing, Patrick joined the team of *PAGES Magazine* as editor at large. In 2004 she launched the now defunct AOL Books Channel, reaching more readers than ever before through the largest web portal in the world and where her book critic channel, "The Book Maven," was born. Under "The Book Maven," Patrick started a blog for Publishers Weekly, became the moderator for Barnes & Noble's first online book club, "Centerstage," and became managing editor of "The WETA Book Studio" a project of WETA Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. Patrick also regularly writes for AARP, PEOPLE magazine, *The Washington Post* Book World, Barnes & Noble Review, and Bookreporter.com. She has also written a book for National Geographic entitled *An Uncommon History of Common Things*, out now. Currently, Patrick is working on a memoir entitled *Broken*.

Ruth Reichl joined *Gourmet* as editor in chief in April 1999. She came to the magazine from *The New York Times*, where she had been the restaurant critic since 1993 and a chef and co-owner of The Swallow Restaurant from 1974 to 1977. In the years that followed, she served as restaurant critic for New West and California magazines. In 1984, she became restaurant critic of the* Los Angeles Times*, where she was also named food editor. Author of, *Mmmmm: A Feastiary*, *Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples*, *Garlic and Sapphires*, and *Not Becoming My Mother*.