Peter A. Galuszka is a veteran journalist who has covered worldwide energy issues, especially coal, for several decades. A former West Virginia resident, he logged thousands of miles on the windy mountain roads of Central Appalachia and traveled to Mongolia, China, and Japan to track down the Massey story. The former Moscow bureau chief for Businessweek, he now lives in Chesterfield, Virginia.

Denise Giardina grew up in a coal camp in McDowell County, West Virginia. She is a writer, ordained Episcopal Church deacon, and community activist. Her novels include Storming Heaven and The Unquiet Earth, both of which are set in the Appalachian coalfields.