I grew up not ten miles from where F. O. Matthiessen and Russell Cheney made their home in Kittery, Maine. After reading about the two men in the New York Times, I began researching their life together, leading me to libraries, archives, and historical societies throughout New England and the Northeast. I am a proud product of the City University of New York system, obtaining a B.A. from Hunter College, an M.P.A. from Baruch College, and a J.D. from CUNY School of Law. I am a program officer at The John A. Hartford Foundation. A Union Like Ours is my first book. I live in New York City with my husband, David W. Dunlap.