Woody Allen is a writer, director, and actor. He has been a stand-up comedian and a published author. He lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his wife of twenty-four years, Soon-Yi, and their two daughters, Manzie and Bechet. He is an avid jazz enthusiast and devoted sports fan. In his own words, he regrets that he has never made a great film, though he says he is still trying.

Daphne Merkin is a novelist and critic who has made a name for herself with her often unnerving candor and forthright attitude toward issues of family, religion, money, and sex as well as her ability to straddle the high/low cultural divide. She has been a staff writer for The New Yorker and a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, T Magazine, Elle, and Tablet. She has written frequently for other publications, including the New York Times Book Review, Times Literary Supplement, New York Review of Books, Wall Street Journal, Bookforum, Travel & Leisure, and Departures. Merkin has also published five books, which include two novels, a memoir of depression, and two collections of essays. She is a longtime fan of Woody Allen.