Sam Schwartz, often referred to by his nom de plume"Gridlock Sam, " is the former NYC Traffic Commissioner and the Chair of the Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program at Hunter College in New York City. His most recent books include the nonfiction titles No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (2018) and Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and The Fall of Cars (2015).

Cary Pepper is a novelist, screenwriter, and award-winning playwright whose work has been produced throughout the United States and internationally. He is a four-time contributor to Applause Books' Best American Short Plays series.