David Rowell grew up in North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For nearly 25 years he was an editor at The Washington Post Magazine and has taught literary journalism in the MFA department at American University. He is currently a senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. His books include the novel The Train of Small Mercies, Wherever the Sound Takes You: Heroics and Heartbreak in Music Making and The Endless Refrain: Memory, Nostalgia, and the Threat to New Music. He lives with his wife just outside of Chapel Hill.