Suheil Bushrui is a distinguished author, poet, critic and translator, particularly revered as an authority on the works of W. B. Yeats and Kahlil Gibran. A university professor for the last 56 years, Bushrui has taught at universities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America. He is currently the professor and first incumbent of the George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland, where he is also a Senior Scholar of Peace with the Center for International Development and Conflict Management. The recipient of many awards, Bushrui's published work is extensive, in both English and Arabic, and includes The Wisdom of the Arabs, The Prophet: A New Annotated Edition and The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race.

James M. Malarkey is a specialist in Middle Eastern and North African affairs. The Chair of Humanities and General Education at Antioch University McGregor, Malarkey has taught Anthropology at Antioch College, Cultural Studies at the American University of Beirut, Linguistics at the University of Constantine, Algeria, as well as World Classics at Antioch University McGregor.