Elizabeth Gilbert is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love, and several other internationally bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction. Gilbert began her career writing for Harper's Bazaar, Spin, the New York Times Magazine, and GQ, and was a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. Her story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award; The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The follow-up memoir Committed became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Her latest novel, The Signature of All Things, was named a Best Book of 2013 by the New York Times, O Magazine, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the New Yorker. Gilbert’s short fiction has appeared in Esquire, Story, One Story, and the Paris Review.
Patricia Kalember studied acting at Indiana University and Temple University after being encouraged by her high-school drama teacher. She finished College with a BA in theater and immediately started acting in major regional and off-Broadway productions. In New York, where she was born, she worked in numerous daytime soaps, commercials, and theatrical events. She received a nomination for the Outer Critics Circle Award for her part in the long-running play The Foreigner.