Author, modern Stoic, public-relations strategist, owner of the Painted Porch Bookshop, and host of the podcast The Daily Stoic. Notable works include The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, Stillness is the Key, and Lives of the Stoics.

Jazz critic, music historian, and author of eleven books including "Music: A Subversive History," "The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire," "The History of Jazz," and "Delta Blues." Founder of Stanford University's jazz studies program.