Thomas M. McCann, PhD, is Professor of English at Northern Illinois University, where he contributes to the teacher licensure program. He taught English in high schools for 25 years, including 7 years working in an alternative high school. The author or coauthor of numerous books, Dr. McCann has served on the Secondary Section Steering Committee of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and on the Executive Committee of NCTE's Conference on English Education, from whom he received the Richard A. Meade Award. Dr. McCann has provided inservice professional development to schools and districts in the Chicago area and nationally.

John V. Knapp, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of English at Northern Illinois University. He is the author or editor of several books and over 50 articles and reviews on literature, family systems psychology, literary criticism, and literature instruction. Since 2007, he has been editor of the literary journalStyle.As an English teacher and later a professor, Dr. Knapp has educated students at every level, from middle school to doctoral seminars.