DIANE ROBERTS, Professor, Ph.D. Oxford University, Visiting Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Northumbria in England, specializes in Southern culture. Her latest book, DREAM STATE: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadors, Confederate Daughters, Banana Republicans, and other Florida Wildlife, about her politically prominent (and very odd) family has been called "perfect," as well as "hilarious," "wild," "fun," "strange," and "splendid."

Roberts' previous two books -- Faulkner and Southern Womanhood and The Myth of Aunt Jemima -- are explorations of Southern culture. She is also a journalist, writing op-ed pieces for The New York Times, The New Republic, and The Times of London. She is a political columnist for Tampa Bay Times in Florida and makes documentaries for BBC Radio in London, where she also spends part of the year. She has been a commentator for NPR since 1993 and she writes for the Washington Post.