Gene Reeves has been studying, teaching, and writing in Japan for twenty-­five years, primarily on Buddhism and interfaith relations. Now an international advisor at Rissho Kosei­-kai, he is also professor emeritus at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago and a founder of the International Buddhist Congregation in Tokyo, where he serves as special minister. As a Buddhist teacher, he travels frequently to China, Singapore, Taiwan, America, and Europe to give talks at universities and churches, mainly on the Lotus Sutra. He is the translator of The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic, editor of A Buddhist Kaleidoscope: Essays on the Lotus Sutra, and author of Stories of the Lotus Sutra. In addition to his work coordinating an annual international seminar on the Lotus Sutra, Reeves has been long active in interfaith conversations and organizations; he was chair of the planning committee for the 1987 Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) at Stanford University; he was one of the founders of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions; and he was a long­-term member of the Board of the Society for Buddhist Christian Studies and an international advisor to the Niwano Peace Foundation. In Japan he has been an advisor to the Japan Liaison Committee of the IARF and a participant in the Religious Summit at Mt. Hiei and in various activities of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. He has participated in both the World Buddhist Forum in China and in the International Lay Buddhist Forum in Korea and Spain.

He is retired from both the University of Tsukuba in Japan and from Renmin University of China. Demi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into a family of renowned artists, with painting in her blood. She studied at The Instituto Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico; with Sister Corita at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, California; at the M.S. University in Baroda, India, while on a Fulbright scholarship; and at the China Institute for Arts in New York City. Demi is the award-winning author and illustrator of over 300 bestselling children's books, including picture-book biographies of spiritual leaders such as Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, The Dalai Lama, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Su Tung Po: Chinese Genius, Gandhi, Jesus, Saint Francis, Mother Teresa, Saint Bernadette, Hildegarde of Bingen, Muhammad, Shiva, Guru Nanak, & Hiawatha. Her titles have sold over two million copies. Numerous folktales such as The Empty Pot and Liang and The Magic Paintbrush transmit the wonder and magic of China.

Her work has received many awards and accolades, among them the Christopher Award, which recognizes individuals whose work makes a positive difference in the world, and The Middle East Book Award. Her titles have also been designated American Library Association Notable Children's Books, New York Times Best Illustrated Books, Notable Books for a Global Society, and American Bookseller Pick of the List Books.