Born in 1911, Romanian poet Eugen Jebeleanu published twelve collections of poems, received numerous European literary awards, and was nominated by the Romanian Academy for the Nobel Prize. By the time of his death in 1991, Jebeleanu had transformed from a young, committed communist to a bitter and unsparing critic of the Ceausescu regime. Secret Weapon was his final collection. Poet Matthew Zapruder is an editor with Wave Books. He also teaches creative writing at the Juniper Summer Writing Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and at the New School in New York. Born in Bucharest, Romania, Radu Ioanid is the author of several books on Romanian history and the Holocaust. He works as Director of International Archival Programs Division at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Writer and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu was working on a film exploring life along the Mississippi, when Katrina slammed into his hometown. After hosting scores of refugees in his Baton Rouge home, Codrescu released his essay collection New Orleans Mon Amour, becoming one of the many important voices celebrating New Orleans culture, recording its devastation, and awakening America's conscience.
Heavyweight Champion Poet, essayist, novelist, screenwriter, and world-class raconteur, Andrei Codrescu was born in Sibiu, Romania in 1946, and immigrated to the United States in 1966. Author, translator, and anthologist of more than thirty-five books, Codrescu has edited the literary magazine Exquisite Corpse, and his provocative commentary is featured regularly on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. His honors include the Peabody Award for his film Road Scholar, the international Ovidius Prize, the ACLU Freedom of Speech Award, as well as a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship for poetry. Codrescu currently resides in Arkansas, while continuing to serve as MacCurdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University.
