Speaking of the Fantastic

Darrell Schweitzer (b. 1952) is an American writer, editor, and critic known for his work in fantasy, science fiction, and horror. He served for many years as an editor of Weird Tales, where he helped shape modern weird fiction and contributed to the revival of interest in classic authors of the genre. Schweitzer is also the author of numerous stories and essays, and has written extensively on the history and development of speculative fiction. He remains active as both a writer and commentator.

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) was a celebrated author whose body of work includes 23 novels, 12 volumes of short stories, 11 volumes of poetry, 13 children's books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebula Awards, seven Hugo Awards, and SFWA's Grand Master, along with the PEN/Malamud and many other awards. In 2014 she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America.

Jonathan Carroll is a former officer in the Irish Defense Forces who earned a PhD from Texas A&M University. He is an associate professor of military history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.