Mark W. McGinnis is an artist and professor of art at Northern State University, South Dakota, and the author of Buddhist Animal Wisdom Stories. He has had numerous solo and group art exhibitions across the United States. He lives in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Joan Chittister is the author of In the Heart of the Temple, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, and Wisdom Distilled from the Daily. She is the executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.