Roy Peter Clark was born in 1948 in New York City and raised on Long Island. He graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island with a degree in English and earned a PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was hired by St. Petersburg Times in 1977 to become a writing coach. He worked with the American Society of Newspaper Editors to improve newspaper writing nationwide. He was soon elected a distinguished service member which was a rare honor for a journalist who has never edited a newspaper. He has nurtured Pulitzer Prize winning writers such as Thomas French and Diana Sugg. He has worked full-time at The Poynter Institute starting in 1979 as director of the writing… center, dean of the faculty, senior scholar and vice president. He has authored or edited several books on journalism and writing such as: Free to Write: A Journalist Teaches Young Writers; Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together Across Media Platforms and Glamour of Grammar.
Rick Parks spent thirteen years in forensic art for the FBI in Washington DC. He and Carrie formed Stuart Parks Forensic Associates in 1988. They work on criminal and civil cases, and teach law enforcement professionals across the nation. Visit Rick and Carrie online at StuartParks.com.Don Fry has helped over 10,000 writers worldwide to write better and faster, with less agony. Don first taught Beowulf and Chaucer at the University of Virginia and at Stony Brook University. Later, he headed the writing faculty at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. As an independent writing coach, Don improves the writing and editing at newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and… non-profit organizations. He has coached over a thousand authors, helping them create writing processes that work for them. Don has published hundreds of articles and 17 books. His blog appears at www.donfry.wordpress.com, and he posts a daily writing tip on Twitter at @donaldkfry. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.