Andrei Codrescu was born in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania, and emigrated to the United States in 1966. He is the author of numerous books: poems, novels, and essays. He founded Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books and Ideas, and was a regular commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He taught literature and poetry at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Baltimore, and Louisiana State University.