Gabriel Constans is a free lance writer whose newest book is Buddha's Wife, a book that explores different approaches to compassion and the role of women in Buddhism (and much more). Kathryn Erskine is the author of Quaking, set in a post 9-11 community where people have to wrestle with the promise and demons of peace-making in a fearful, war-eager, world, seen through the eyes of a troubled teen.