At the time of writing, John Appleton was Senior Editor of «The Saturday Evening Post».
Abdol Reza Arasteh was born in Shiraz, Iran, in 1927. He had studied both Eastern and Western psychology and seemed to bridge Merton's earlier interest in psychology with his later interest in Sufism, Zen and other eastern traditions. He lived a number of years in the United States and became a citizen in 1976. (Source: «The Hidden Ground of Love», p. 40-41.)
Evora Arca de Sardiña was born in Cuba, attended high school in New York, and returned to Cuba in 1950. In Cuba, she was involved in social work the poor. When Castro came to power in 1959, she fled to the United States with her husband and her five sons and settled in Miami. Her husband, Eugenio, was part of the CIA-trained anti-Castro assault force captured at the Bay of Pigs. (Source: «Witness to Freedom».)
Rubén Astudillo is writing from Ecuador on behalf of the publication «El Mercurio».
David Aud is writing as a member of the Student Senate at St. Bonaventure University and is the son of Jim Aud, who was an English student of Merton's in the 1940's.
Stefan Baciu was a poet and professor of romance languages whose works include surveys of Latin American surrealistic poetry and themes of communism in poetry. He was editor of the literary magazine, «MELE». During his time of correspondence with Merton, he is first in Seattle and later in Honolulu.
Roger Barnard is writing as Features Editor for the publication «Peace News» from London.
Robert Batastini is writing as Vice-President of the Gregorian Institute of America in Chicago, Illinois.
The Rev. Harvey Bates was Co-Chaplain for the United Campus Christian Fellowship at Syracuse University in New York.
John Beecher was a poet whose works often expressed social concerns such as civil rights, non-violence, and workers' rights. During the 1960's, his work on the publication «Ramparts» got him dubbed a "Communist" by Governor George Wallace of Alabama, which Beecher claimed was an "honor". He would return to Alabama, where he claimed the KKK wanted him dead, in 1966 to serve as a visiting professor at Miles College, a traditionally black institution. He and his wife Barbara were received back to the Catholic Church in 1965, and he describes the changes in the Church in Birmingham since his boyhood days there. He and Barbara were also art printers, and Merton approached them to do specialty additions of some of his work.
Teris Benaudes is writing from Lima, Peru.
Daniel Berrigan was a Catholic priest, social activist, and poet who entered the Society of Jesus (1939), was ordained (1952), and after studying in France (where he was influenced by the worker-priest movement), he taught at Catholic schools until becoming associate professor of theology at LeMoyne College (Syracuse, NY) (1957-1962). After serving as assistant editor of Jesuit Missions in New York (1963-1965), he became associate director of United Religious Work (1966-1969). Active in opposing the Vietnam War, he went with professor Howard Zinn to Hanoi, North Vietnam, to assist in obtaining the release of three American pilots (1968); the diary he kept during this mission, along with 11 poems, became «Night Flight to Hanoi» (1968). With his brother, Philip Berrigan, he gained national attention for destroying draft registration files in Catonsville, Md. (1968); in 1970 he was sentenced to three years in prison for this, but he went underground for several months until federal authorities arrested him on Block Island (off Rhode Island). After 18 months in prison, he was paroled in 1972 and participated with his brother in the first Plowshares Action (1980), a protest at the General Electric Plant at King of Prussia, Pa. Living among Jesuits, writing and conducting retreats, he was arrested regularly for his protest actions at weapons manufacturers and other sites (1980-1992). He wrote over 50 books, including «The Trial of the Catonsville 9» (1970), an autobiography (1987), and at least four films. (Source: Biography from April 16th, 2004, lecture write-up by Paul Pearson.)
Yolanda Bettencourt writes from the editorial department of the publishing house Livaria Agir Editors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil