Dean Nelson is the founder and host of the annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea, which will be in its 30th year in 2025. He has interviewed many of the world's greatest writers, including Amy Tan, Alice Walker, Anne Lamott, Ray Bradbury, Anthony Doerr, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Don Winslow, Deepak Chopra, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, N. Scott Momaday and dozens more. A nearly complete list can be seen here: https://www.uctv.tv/writers/ These are the voices that are in this book.

He is also the founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and a practicing journalist. He has taught writing and journalism for 40 years. He has won several national and regional awards for his journalism.

His work with the Writer's Symposium by the Sea has been recognized with awards from the San Diego Writer's Festival, the San Diego Public Library, and various local civic groups.