Buzz Bissinger is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller “3 Nights in August” and “Friday Night Lights”, which has sold two million copies and spawned a film and TV franchise. He is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and a sports columnist for The Daily Beast. He has written for the New York Times, The New Republic,Time and many other publications.

His upcoming book is “Father’s Day: A Journey Into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Buzz Bissinger’s twin sons were born three minutes—and a world—apart. Gerry, the older one, is a graduate student at Penn, preparing to become a teacher. His brother Zach has spent his life attending special schools. He’ll never drive a car, or kiss a girl, or live by himself. He is a savant, challenged by serious intellectual deficits but also blessed with rare talents: an astonishing memory, a dazzling knack for navigation, and a reflexive honesty which can make him both socially awkward and surprisingly wise. One summer night, Buzz and Zach hit the road to revisit all the places they have lived together during Zach’s 24 years. Zach revels in his memories, and Buzz hopes this journey into their shared past will bring them closer and reveal to him the mysterious workings of his son’s mind and heart.

Donna Britt is the author of “Brothers (and Me): A Memoir of Loving and Giving” (Little, Brown and Company).  She is a former syndicated columnist for the Washington Post. Ms. Britt has won awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and the National Association of Black Journalists, and she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, C-Span, and National Public Radio.

Clint Hill was a Secret Service Agent assigned to the White House and served Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford.  He was in the motorcade in Dallas on November 22, 1963, assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, when President Kennedy was assassinated.  He is credited with saving Mrs. Kennedy’s life. After rising through the ranks of the Secret Service, he retired in 1975 as Assistant Director, responsible for all protective forces.  Hill remains in contact with the current U.S. Secret Service and is actively involved in training activities.

Jen Lancaster is the New York Times bestselling author of five memoirs published by NAL, and most recently, the novel “If You Were Here.” Her newest memoir, “Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult’s Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development, or Why It’s Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops are Not Dinner,” comes out this May.

Jen’s loyal fans have followed her as she recounts the woes of job loss, sucky city living, weight loss attempts and 1980s nostalgia in her hilarious memoirs, including, “Bitter is the New Black,” “Such A Pretty Fat,” and “My Fair Lazy.” A nationally syndicated monthly columnist for Tribune Media Services’ Humor Hotel, Jen Lancaster lives outside Chicago .  She still blogs at the blog where it all started: www.jennsylvania.com.

Jen Lancaster will be appearing in conversation with author Sarah Pekkanen.

Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) is the author of the #1 New York Times best-seller, “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)” (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam) as well as a columnist and blogger. Her personal blog (www.thebloggess.com) is extremely popular, averaging over a half million page views per month and continuing to grow. She is one of the most popular bloggers on twitter (with over 225,000+ followers and growing daily). Jenny has been a regular contributor to the online Houston Chronicle since 2006 and also writes a popular advice column and satirical sex column. Jenny lives in Texas Hill Country with her husband and daughter.

Luis Carlos Montalván is the author of the New York Times best-seller, “Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him” (Hyperion).  Montalván served in the U.S. Army for 17 years, earning the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart. Montalván has a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. His articles have appeared in publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and The Baltimore Sun.  Luis resides in New York City with Tuesday, his faithful service dog.

Sara Mansfield Taber is the author of “Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy’s Daughter” (Potomac Books Inc).  Her previous books include “Dusk on the Campo: A Journey in Patagonia” and “Bread of Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf.”  Sara’s essays, commentary, and travel pieces have appeared in literary journals and the Washington Post, and been produced for public radio. A free-lance editor and teacher, she has taught writing at Johns Hopkins University, the Vermont College of Fine Arts, the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and in private workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

Baratunde Thurston is the author of “How to Be Black” (Harper).   He is the director of digital at The Onion, the cofounder of Jack & Jill Politics, a stand-up comedian, and a globe-trotting speaker. Thurston was named one of the 100 most influential African Americans of 2011 by The Root, one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company magazine, and will be giving the opening keynote address at SXSW Interactive 2012. Then-Senator Barack Obama called him “someone I need to know.” Baratunde resides in Brooklyn and lives on Twitter (@baratunde).

Eric Weiner is author of “Man Seeks God: My Flirtations With the Divine” (Twelve) and, previously, the New York Times best-seller “The Geography of Bliss,” which has been translated into eighteen languages. A former correspondent for NPR and the New York Times, Weiner has reported from more than three dozen countries. His work has appeared in the New Republic, Slate, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The New York Times Magazine, and the anthology Best American Travel Writing. He divides his time between Starbucks and Caribou.