An Academy Award‒winning and EMMY-nominated filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of the Roots, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is the unmistakable heartbeat of Philadelphia's most influential hip-hop group. He is the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the Roots serves as the house band. Questlove made his directorial debut with the Academy Award‒winning feature documentary Summer of Soul. He has written multiple books, including the New York Times bestsellers Mo' Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music Is History, and his first children's book, The Rhythm of Time. He is the publisher of AUWA Books, an imprint of MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

S. A. Cosby is a New York Times bestselling writer from southeastern Virginia. He is the author of All the Sinners Bleed, which was on more than forty Best of the Year lists, including Barack Obama's, as well as Edgar Award finalist Razorblade Tears and Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Blacktop Wasteland. He has also won the Anthony Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, BCALA Award, and Audie Award and has been longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.