Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) was a major literary figure at the center of a circle of expatriate writers and artists living in Paris during the early decades of the twentieth century. She is the author of Three Lives, Tender Buttons, and The Making of Americans, among other works. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was a best-seller in the United States. Joan Retallack is John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Humanities at Bard College. She is the author of many books, including Afterrimages, How To Do Things With Words, and The Poethical Wager (UC Press).