Elizabeth L. Banks (1870-1938) was raised on a Wisconsin farm and graduated from the Milwaukee-Downer Female Seminary to work as a part-time reporter. During her career she worked as secretary to the American ambassador in Peru, ""stunt girl,"" yellow journalist, author, investigative reporter, and freelance writer in both England and the United States. Mary Suzanne Schriber is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Northern Illinois University. She is the author of Writing Home and Gender and the Writer's Imagination and editor of Telling Travels. Abbey Zink is assistant professor of English at Western Connecticut State University.