Born and raised in Connecticut and an Alaska resident since 1982, Bill Sherwonit is a nature writer and essayist whose work has appeared in newspapers, magazines, literary journals, and anthologies. He's the author of more than a dozen books, among them Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska's Wildlife and Changing Paths: Travels and Meditations in Alaska's Arctic Wilderness . Sherwonit's work primarily focuses on Alaska's wildlife and wildlands, but he's passionate about wild nature in all its varied forms, including the nature of his adopted hometown, Anchorage, and the spirited wildness we carry within us. Jeff Schultz has been the official photographer for the Iditarod Trail Committee since 1982. An internationally published photographer, his Alaskan images have been reproduced in numerous books, calendars, newspapers, and magazines, including National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, TIME, and Audubon . He is also the owner and principal photographer at AlaskaStock Images. He lives in Anchorage with his wife and two children.