Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, worked as a business executive for many years-eventually becoming Vice President of General Foods-before turning to literature full time. He is author of three books of poetry, the controversial best seller "Can Poetry Matter? Essays on Poetry and American Culture" and most recently "Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the End of Print Culture." Kay Ryan is author of five collections of poetry. After years of being ignored by the poetry establishment, she recently won one of its most prestigious prizes: the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Her most recent book is "Say Uncle." Gioia published the first essay on Ryan's poetry; when he and his family moved to California, he sent her a postcard saying he hoped they'd cross paths. Both California poets with working-class origins, they became good friends.