BARBARA EHRENREICH is a political essayist and social critic who tackles a brave and diverse range of issues in books and magazine articles. She is the author or co-author of twelve books including Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, and, most recently, Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War. She has written for dozens of magazines, including Z, Ms., Harper's, The Nation, The Progressive, The New Republic, The Atlantic Monthly and the New York Times Magazine. Her forthcoming book is called Nickle and Dimed: Surviving in Low-Wage America. She recently led a workshop, Writing About Poverty, for the literary nonfiction program's Writing About series.