Margery Abbott is a widely published Quaker author who has taught regularly in the UK and US. She was the Backhouse Lecturer for Australia Yearly Meeting in 2017. She has also served as clerk for the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington, DC. Carl Abbott is Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, USA. He is the author of numerous books in the fields of urban history and science fiction criticism. They live in Portland, Oregon.